What problem are autonomous vehicles solving?

[jesse_the_k]

The Access Board has this to say about itself:

The U.S. Access Board is a federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in inclusive design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards.

Starting in March of next year, they’ll be holding ZOOM hearings re: autonomous vehicles and disabled people.

If you’d like to chime in with your thoughts, sign up here:

https://www.access-board.gov/av/

My thoughts:

AV pizza robots have already blocked curb ramps.

AV navigation depends on a deep understanding of the typical streetscape. But "typical" is a notion, not a reality. Every streetscape has atypical elements. For 50 years, I’ve observed the corner of Park and University Avenue. When UW-Madison is in session, the typical behavior is chaotic.

Color me doubtful and dubious. What problem are AVs solving?

Comments

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Wow. I am pretty sure I'll be checking out these pdfs and mentioning them to people as my Christmas present to myself.

Though I may start with Roads for All, just so Cheshire East doesn't wonder why so many hits are occurring nowhere near them.

(Our governing bodies can't use each other's diagrams, so they tend to try using words when a picture would be clearer. That try is rather pertinent.)

[jesse_the_k]

Describing traffic alignment details with just words is not an easy ask, but give a civil engineer enough pencils and beer and they may produce something useful.

[davidgillon]

Ha! As the son of a civil engineer, one licensed to design roads at that, I can confirm beer was popular :)

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

It is a food group, yes?

As long as one drinks with the same hand that pencils, it works out.

It's the surveyors' tippling that proves worrisome. (What do you mean the boundary is where?! One toilet shouldn't be defacto international waters!)

[davidgillon]

Enjoy. And Crown Copyright is a wonderful thing (the default Open Government License means it's freely reusable, at least where OGL applies).