←back to thread

Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

(techcrunch.com)
281 points nharada | 10 comments | 12 Nov 25 16:06 UTC | HN request time: 0.2s | source | bottom
Show context
mmmlinux ◴[12 Nov 25 17:06 UTC] No.45902647[source]▶
I was in SF a few weekend ago and rode both Waymo and normal Lyft style taxi cars. the Waymo was a better experience in every single way. One of the Lyfts i was in drove on the shoulder for a while like it was a lane. The Waymos were just smooth consistent driving. No aggressive driving to get you dumped off so they can get to the next fair.
replies(12): >>45902760 #>>45902967 #>>45902998 #>>45903093 #>>45903449 #>>45904903 #>>45904913 #>>45905127 #>>45905613 #>>45906080 #>>45906696 #>>45908668 #
1. holler ◴[12 Nov 25 17:29 UTC] No.45902967[source]▶
I had my first waymo ride in Austin recently and it suddenly slowed down to 20mph in 40mph zone for 5+ mins before returning to normal speed. Cars were passing around us and it felt like the car was glitching out, which felt very sketchy.
replies(3): >>45903004 #>>45903025 #>>45906250 #
2. vjerancrnjak ◴[12 Nov 25 17:31 UTC] No.45903004[source]▶
I was doing this a lot in US whenever I’d see construction work speed limits and had similar experience. Realized no one cares about these custom signs.
replies(1): >>45903666 #
3. thebytefairy ◴[12 Nov 25 17:33 UTC] No.45903025[source]▶
I've been in ride shares where the driver has crossed a curb road divider or squeezed through tiny gaps in front of trucks. Going too slow sounds like a better 'bad' experience to me.
4. daemonologist ◴[12 Nov 25 18:16 UTC] No.45903666[source]▶
Yeah it always wigs me out going through those super narrow "55 mph" construction zones on US highways. I'm not in a hurry and want to slow down, but if I did I'd have semis blowing past at 75 which feels even more unsafe. Honestly I think they should put up speed cameras.
replies(1): >>45903820 #
5. Tade0 ◴[12 Nov 25 18:25 UTC] No.45903820{3}[source]▶
In my corner of the world it was the workers who demanded section control limiting speed to 70kmph in a segment of highway that was being renovated.

Authorities later said that they only went after 30% of the worst offenders, because otherwise the sheer number of tickets would be to high to process in a reasonable timespan.

Once word got out that the limit was actually enforced, speeds dropped. Now we have section control on some highways and personally I'm a fan, as I was always going around the speed limit anyway.

replies(2): >>45905471 #>>45906972 #
6. bluGill ◴[12 Nov 25 19:54 UTC] No.45905471{4}[source]▶
What do you mean by "section control"? A did a quick search and founds lots of possibilities but none that seem to apply to construction zone speed control.
replies(1): >>45905687 #
7. Tade0 ◴[12 Nov 25 20:06 UTC] No.45905687{5}[source]▶
Average speed camera. "Section control" is how they were named in Austria where I've first encountered them and the term translates to something similar in my language, so I assumed that was the English term, but it appears to be a case of Önglish.
replies(1): >>45906578 #
8. mdorazio ◴[12 Nov 25 20:36 UTC] No.45906250[source]▶
Are you sure it was actually a 40mph zone in that section? Austin has plenty of school and construction zones with lower speed limits that most drivers completely ignore.
9. tialaramex ◴[12 Nov 25 20:59 UTC] No.45906578{6}[source]▶
Yeah, Average Speed Camera is definitely the terminology in the UK.

This is distinct from just a Speed Camera which is measuring over a very short interval from a single camera, the Average Speed Camera involves two or more cameras, recording people passing different points and working out how fast, on average, they must be travelling to have done so.

10. scoofy ◴[12 Nov 25 21:26 UTC] No.45906972{4}[source]▶
Enforcement of traffic laws for public safety?!? Clearly you don't have American priorities. You need to focus more on level of service and only level of service.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09666...

https://archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/9/9/improvement...

Some of you may die, but that's a price we're willing to make.