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November 17, 2006
We're all dumber for having heard that
Cheers to the Star's "Speak Out" feature for once again spreading total nonsense to the people. "I want real live seeing humans on my trains, thanks," says Jim Truax, in response to Howard Moscoe's Random Thought #194 — he wants computers to drive TTC subway trains. Arthur Nichol opines that "If the computer system fails during operation, the lives of all the passengers are at risk." "There is no substitute like a train which is manned by a driver, especially for safety and security purposes." "I know I can't wait to be on a runaway train with no driver."
I mean, bloody hell. Is it asking too much to suggest that when you say subway trains in New York (only the L line, as far as I know, and rather unsuccessfully), Tokyo and San Francisco are "automated", you might also want to emphasize that those trains nevertheless have human operators — to point out that HAL 9000 can easily be overridden if the train in question starts hurtling backwards down the wrong track? (UPDATE: I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here — as Robert McClelland points out in the comments, the Star article does mention that a human will remain on board. If I weren't so tired I'd swear blind that it didn't say that before, but I am that tired, so there you have it. Still, the human's safety role seems understated to me — "Once automated, the only thing required of the operator at the front of the train would be to look out the window, ensure everyone is safely aboard and manually close the doors." The operator is also required to keep everyone alive, surely.)
(It's a little bizarre, too, that the Star didn't mention the three of four Montreal Metro lines that are computerized, but never mind that.)
While I agree with my dear old dad (seventh response) that "driverless trains come a long way down the list of what is needed to cure gridlock and provide a modern public transportation system in Toronto," that doesn't make automated trains a bad idea. Capacity on the Yonge line is a serious concern, and a 40 percent increase therein would make a huge difference. Of course, by virtue of it coming out of Moscoe's mouth, I suspect the potential benefits are actually far less than that.
Posted by Chris Selley at November 17, 2006 09:59 PM
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Comments
you might also want to mention that those trains nevertheless have human operators
They do mention that.
Once automated, the only thing required of the operator at the front of the train would be to look out the window, ensure everyone is safely aboard and manually close the doors.
Posted by: Robert McClelland at November 17, 2006 11:27 PM
Vancouver's skytrain doesn't use on-train operators. There's no feather-bedding ride-along watch out the window do-nothing operators, either. It's cool. You can take the seat on the front train and look right out the window at the oncoming track. Believe me, the little kids like this!
And no crashes yet - in 20 years. Go figure.
Posted by: groovy-on-granville at November 18, 2006 09:47 PM
The drivers of person-operated trains still have to follow the computer-operated signal system.
Posted by: JH at November 20, 2006 02:55 PM