Bill Wood: With all the auto developments, fast trains obsolete
Re “Event marks high-speed rail’s start” (Page A1, Jan. 7): Where is Governor Moon Beam when we need him? The next stop for the celebration should have been the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There they have seen some of the marvelous technology being perfected for cars.
Bosch has a device that can be installed to take over driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic (Traffic Jam Assist). BMW demonstrated its self-driving car. Google is testing a version of a driverless car on the road today. Mercedes has a living room on wheels. The point is long before the high-speed rail project ever comes close to completion we will have driverless cars! In that far-distant time, if high-speed rail is available, we will have a choice – go directly to LA in a comfortable car or go to the nearest rail station and be subjected to all the hassles of mass transit. I regularly make that 5 hour trip to LA and would rather see the roads improved rather than pay a fortune for a relic of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Bill Wood, Oakdale
This story was originally published January 13, 2015 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Bill Wood: With all the auto developments, fast trains obsolete."