Hacker News with Generative AI: Transportation

How good are American roads? (construction-physics.com)
We’re in an era where US infrastructure is getting a lot of attention. We need a lot of energy infrastructure for decarbonization, and to enable the AI data center buildout. There’s lots of interest in building high-speed rail, mass transit infrastructure, desalination plants in arid regions, and better ports.

Infrastructure, Transportation, Energy, AI

184 points by chmaynard 17 hours ago | 395 comments

Britain is building one of the world’s most expensive railways (cnn.com)

Britain, Transportation, Infrastructure, Economics

58 points by peutetre 17 hours ago | 124 comments

Railroads inspired the creation of time zones (bbc.com)
The invention of railroads ushered in a new era of land travel, and forever changed the way humans perceive time.

History, Transportation, Time

5 points by rmason 1 day ago | 0 comments

November 1861: Chalmers' under Channel railway (theengineer.co.uk)
In 1861 The Engineer reported on an early proposal to build a subsea railway across the English Channel

History, Engineering, Transportation

22 points by timthorn 3 days ago | 9 comments

Trump Team Said to Want to Ease US Rules for Self-Driving Cars (bloomberg.com)
Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, according to people familiar with the matter.

Politics, Autonomous Vehicles, Transportation

5 points by lopkeny12ko 3 days ago | 3 comments

NYC getting queue jump traffic lights to speed up bus service (wrrv.com)
Things are about to look much different at select New York intersections.

Transportation, New York, Traffic, Public Transportation

6 points by geox 3 days ago | 1 comments

Waymo's robotaxis are now available to everyone in Los Angeles (theverge.com)
Waymo is ditching its waitlist in Los Angeles, much like it did before in Phoenix and San Francisco, making its fully autonomous vehicles available to anyone who downloads the company’s Waymo One app.

Self-Driving Cars, Transportation, Los Angeles, Technology, Artificial Intelligence

9 points by gmays 4 days ago | 1 comments

What I learned from 130 hours in a Waymo (mattbell.us)
Over the last year I’ve spent over 130 hours in a Waymo. I have used it for my daily commute for much of that year, and I also generally favor it for personal use whenever the wait times are not too long. It’s a revolution in personal transit, and not just for technological reasons. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Transportation, Autonomous Vehicles, Personal Experience

4 points by rwmj 5 days ago | 1 comments

India is turning into an SUV country (economist.com)
GETTING TO BANGALORE, India’s startup capital, is easy: arrive at the gorgeous new garden-themed terminal, collect your bags, and zip down the buttery smooth National Highway 44 into the city. Getting around Bangalore is another matter. It is the most heavily gridlocked city in India, with average speeds during rush hour of 18kph (11mph), according to TomTom, a navigation-technology firm.

India, Transportation, Traffic, Cities, Urban Planning

8 points by alephnerd 5 days ago | 1 comments

Europe's flying taxi dreams falter as cash runs short (bbc.com)
One of the innovations at this year's Paris Olympics was supposed to be an electric flying taxi service.

Transportation, Technology, Europe, Innovation

19 points by ZeljkoS 6 days ago | 57 comments

Grab built its own map in Southeast Asia, and is now going after Google (restofworld.org)
Grab began mapping locations because Google Maps and Here were inadequate for its drivers’ needs.It has trained drivers to use its own cameras to map streets and alleys. Hyperlocal maps are essential, but taking on the dominant players is tough.

Southeast Asia, Mapping, Competition, Google, Transportation

97 points by impish9208 8 days ago | 62 comments

No GPS required: our app can now locate underground trains (transitapp.com)
Bad service in the subway? Our offline motion detection shows where you are between stations, and reminds you when your stop’s up next

Transportation, Mobile Apps, Subway, Location Services

1073 points by dotcoma 8 days ago | 318 comments

Map of over a Billion NYC Subway Rides Reveals Hidden Connections (untappedcities.com)
On November 4th, the New York City subway welcomed its billionth rider of the year—10 days before the same milestone was hit in 2023.

Transportation, Data Visualization, Public Transit

4 points by pseudolus 9 days ago | 1 comments

Waymo One is now open to all in Los Angeles (waymo.com)
Roll out the red carpet. Starting today, anyone in Los Angeles can take fully autonomous rides 24/7 with Waymo One – rolling through Santa Monica, Hollywood Boulevard, USC, and everything in between.

Self-Driving Cars, Transportation, Los Angeles, Technology, Autonomous Vehicles

213 points by ra7 9 days ago | 371 comments

UK: Will new battery-powered trains replace diesel, and are they safe? (bbc.co.uk)
Soon battery-powered trains could be coming to a station near you.

Transportation, Trains, Technology, Environment, Safety

10 points by zeristor 10 days ago | 7 comments

Self-Driving Cars will Destroy Cities (and what to do about it) [video] (youtube.com)

Self-Driving Cars, Urban Planning, Technology, Transportation, Future

42 points by mbs159 10 days ago | 50 comments

Oregon ambulance struck cyclist, then billed him $1,800 for ride to hospital (theguardian.com)
An ambulance struck a cyclist in Oregon, brought him to a hospital for treatment – and then billed him more than $1,800, according to a lawsuit that the unwitting patient has since filed.

Healthcare, Lawsuits, Transportation, Cycling

8 points by vinni2 12 days ago | 0 comments

Ambulance hits cyclist, rushes him to hospital, then sticks him with $1,800 bill (oregonlive.com)
An Oregon cyclist who was struck by an ambulance that made a right turn into him — fracturing his nose and leaving him with scrapes and other injuries across his body — has filed a $997,000 lawsuit against the ambulance provider after it scooped him up, drove him to the hospital and then billed him for the service, according to the suit.

Healthcare, Lawsuits, Transportation, Accidents

313 points by type0 13 days ago | 404 comments

Railroad Ecology (wikipedia.org)
Railroad ecology or railway ecology is a term used to refer to the study of the ecological community growing along railroad or railway tracks and the effects of railroads on natural ecosystems.

Ecology, Biology, Transportation, Environmental Science

8 points by downboots 13 days ago | 1 comments

Bus Traps (Wikipedia) (wikipedia.org)
A bus trap (car trap in the UK) is a metal grate placed over a ditch or pit in the road with tines (sides) spaced far enough apart that small (shorter axle) vehicles fall between the tines but close enough that larger-diameter-wheeled vehicles, such as buses, may pass.

Transportation, Engineering, Safety

11 points by KiranRao0 22 days ago | 2 comments

Waymo does over 150k paid trips and over 1M autonomous miles every week (twitter.com)

Autonomous Vehicles, Transportation, Technology, Business, Statistics

60 points by fldskfjdslkfj 22 days ago | 73 comments

Cabbies Say Cost to Move to Wheelchair-Accessible Cars Is Too High (thecity.nyc)
Taxi medallion owners facing a new deadline for making their vehicles wheelchair accessible by next March say conversion costs could take cabbies off the road.

Transportation, Accessibility, Disability Rights, Business

6 points by PaulHoule 23 days ago | 4 comments

Inside the Transport for London cyberattack (londoncentric.media)
It’s almost two months since Transport for London’s systems were hacked and many Londoners are still experiencing major disruption to their lives as a result. Although operational systems were largely unaffected by the cyberattack, meaning tube and bus services have continued to run, one senior TfL executive told London Centric that behind the scenes it has been “an utter shitshow”.

Cybersecurity, London, Transportation

101 points by alexbilbie 25 days ago | 85 comments

FTC Action to Stop Lyft from Deceiving Drivers with Misleading Earnings Claims (ftc.gov)

FTC, Transportation, Ride-Sharing, Legal Action, Consumer Protection

5 points by andelink 26 days ago | 0 comments

Portable hydrogen cartridges by Toyota can supply energy to cars and appliances (designboom.com)
Toyota Motor Corporation exhibits its portable hydrogen cartridges at Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Hydrogen, Energy, Transportation, Technology, Toyota

11 points by ashitlerferad 28 days ago | 6 comments

Uber, Lyft drivers block Manhattan traffic to protest lockouts (amny.com)
Hundreds of Uber and Lyft drivers blockaded Manhattan traffic Wednesday morning, demanding an end to “lockouts” by Uber and Lyft.

Transportation, Labor, Protests, Uber/Lyft

26 points by philip1209 28 days ago | 27 comments

Tesla has been testing a robotaxi service in the Bay Area for most of the year (theverge.com)
Tesla has been testing a robotaxi service in the Bay Area for the past few months, Elon Musk said during the company’s earnings call Wednesday.

Tesla, Autonomous Vehicles, Transportation, Bay Area, Technology

26 points by tantalor 28 days ago | 104 comments

Do bike lanes cause more traffic congestion? What the research says (cbc.ca)
While many people, including Ontario's Premier Doug Ford, say that bike lanes increase traffic congestion, research from around the world shows that's not the case.

Traffic Congestion, Bike Lanes, Research, Transportation

16 points by aspenmayer 29 days ago | 62 comments

Toyota's Betting Big on Electric Air Taxis (thedrive.com)
While we’re still waiting for those flying cars, Toyota is betting high and hard on electric air taxis.