Composed in response to:
http://worldif.economist.com/article/11/what-if-autonomous-vehicles-rule-the-world-from-horseless-to-driverless
I don't leave the article feeling convinced. As the 'luxury' of self driving cars begins to trickle down, freeing those already with the means to pay from their car insurance payments, a whole lot of low skill, fairly high wage jobs (trucking) will be rolled under the carpet of progress.
What a miracle of economics!
Cabbing has already begun the descent into joblessness. Uber's civil disobedience has allowed them immense market share at the expense of the established driver-company-municipality triumvirate, and the whole while they trumpet the immense money saving potential of removing their own drivers in addition to the existing cab companies and drivers.
I see the immense fleets of self driving cars replacing most private cars, but I do not see that as liberating, as insurance providers will latch on to those without the means to pay reliably for the subscription-service that will surely arise. Those saddled with exorbitant premiums will be least likely to be able to afford them.
Perhaps a more admirable solution would be to take a step back to reexamine the 50's era urban planning practices that are linking American cities inextricably from the mantra of more cars all the time. A new city should arise, that has residents healthy and wise enough to want to spend their time to work enjoying the fresh air on the bike, or perhaps riding an electric train. Bikes and trains introduce far less entropy into the system than cars do, with their immense concrete infrastructures.
The development in the city may have many new apartments, but take a step out into the country and you will see the cul-de-sac trees blooming off into eternity.
Why does the American dream need to involve consuming America?
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