It seems we have a new date and venue for Google I/O 2016, the annual conference by Google. The event will take place between 18 and 20 May in Mountain View, California, at the Shoreline Amphitheater. Apparently, the special feature of this year will be self-driving cars that are currently in development. Car producers are quite determined in bringing the independent vehicles to the streets as soon as possible, and Google is hard at work.

Although there is no clear information on whether Google I/O will feature autonomous cars, we have a few hints pointing in this direction. First of all, the company avoided accessible and popular auditoriums like the ones in San Jose or San Francisco in favor of the Shoreline Amphitheater. The reason for this is that the venue in Mountain View has much more outdoor space including a huge parking lot. Secondly, it is very close to the Google campus, which would make transportation easier.

However, the choice of Shoreline Amphitheater also underlines the infrastructure and inequality issues of both San Jose and San Francisco, which exist in part because of tech companies. We are currently witnessing big tech firms based in smaller towns that are trying to remain suburban, while implementing larger levels of employment.

Shoreline Amphitheater can be considered an unpractical venue, because there is no public transportation leading straight to it. The closest bus station is located about half a mile from the venue, while the closest train station is at a distance of three miles. Furthermore, there are no restaurants or hotels nearby, and lodgings are quite expensive, reaching $300 per night. Apparently Google has found a solution for transportation that will consist of a series of special Google buses, the same buses that were the target of protests in both 2013 and 2014. The purpose of the manifestations was to highlight the fact that some towns do not build enough houses and apartments for the workers of corporations.

Many guests are expected to rent cars or use services like Uber, which will undoubtedly lead to traffic jams on both Shoreline Road and the 101 freeway. Furthermore, the Bay Area is a bayfront depression in the form of a bowl which can flood from heavy storms, as it happened in 1998 because of El Niño, a phenomenon that will take place this year as well.

Even though we are all excited to witness the progress of technology and these self-driving cars, the prospects of the new date and venue for Google I/O 2016 are not too bright. Let’s hope that Google will be able to properly organize and manage the conference.

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