As a partially sighted person that’s unable to legally drive, an autonomous car is an absolute dream to me and would give me a personal freedom many currently take for granted.
In our car dependent society, I understand that. But a lot of us would rather have better public transit so you wouldn’t have to have a car to have your freedom.
I definitely understand that perspective and I would never say no to better public transport. However, as someone that has spent their entire life entirely reliant on public transport, I can assure you that even good public transport isn’t a solution to all problems.
For example I can’t just nip out to a hardware store to pick up some supplies because I fancy doing a bit of DIY, I am reliant on friends or Taxis to carry bulky items. I can’t even do a large shop because it’s too much to carry, I have to either have it delivered in which case I’m not able to easily see what I am getting - an issue be it fresh produce or just not realising how big a jar of something is, or I am forced to turn one shopping trip into several smaller trips. I certainly can’t buy in bulk to save money.
I can’t just go somewhere on a whim, I have to plan ahead and make sure I’m able to get any connections or be aware of any disruption.even when public transport is good, it still has issues.
You make great points that sighted people like myself might not ever consider.
IMO there should exist public options to take care of these gaps that you have. Right now I don’t think there are really any groups of people who have both the means and the motivation to solve any of these issues. It sucks. I believe these issues are solvable.
Believe me it’s often the only option I have and it has a whole host of problems. Things sometimes aren’t in stock and you get dumb substitutions or no substitution at all - which means I still need to go and pick up whatever I’m missing or make do without.
For fresh produce, it’s entirely random if I get decent selection or bruised up leftovers. If I want baked potatoes I have no way of picking them myself and end up with crappy tiny things unless I buy the more expensive explicit “jacket potatoes”.
As a partially sighted person that’s unable to legally drive, an autonomous car is an absolute dream to me and would give me a personal freedom many currently take for granted.
In our car dependent society, I understand that. But a lot of us would rather have better public transit so you wouldn’t have to have a car to have your freedom.
I definitely understand that perspective and I would never say no to better public transport. However, as someone that has spent their entire life entirely reliant on public transport, I can assure you that even good public transport isn’t a solution to all problems.
For example I can’t just nip out to a hardware store to pick up some supplies because I fancy doing a bit of DIY, I am reliant on friends or Taxis to carry bulky items. I can’t even do a large shop because it’s too much to carry, I have to either have it delivered in which case I’m not able to easily see what I am getting - an issue be it fresh produce or just not realising how big a jar of something is, or I am forced to turn one shopping trip into several smaller trips. I certainly can’t buy in bulk to save money.
I can’t just go somewhere on a whim, I have to plan ahead and make sure I’m able to get any connections or be aware of any disruption.even when public transport is good, it still has issues.
You make great points that sighted people like myself might not ever consider.
IMO there should exist public options to take care of these gaps that you have. Right now I don’t think there are really any groups of people who have both the means and the motivation to solve any of these issues. It sucks. I believe these issues are solvable.
Isn’t delivery an option in this case?
Believe me it’s often the only option I have and it has a whole host of problems. Things sometimes aren’t in stock and you get dumb substitutions or no substitution at all - which means I still need to go and pick up whatever I’m missing or make do without.
For fresh produce, it’s entirely random if I get decent selection or bruised up leftovers. If I want baked potatoes I have no way of picking them myself and end up with crappy tiny things unless I buy the more expensive explicit “jacket potatoes”.
It’s a nightmare.
I’m hoping they are sorted by the time I’m 80 and can no longer safely drive myself.