This makes interesting reading:Article
Always amazes me how good society is at at completely overlooking the detrimental effects mass car ownership bring as a whole due to our fixation on these fast and shiny boxes.
There are already various car classes in use round the world some of which we can pinch. The Japanese K car ( surely mentioned somewhere on this thread) is a good one. We also need a "light car" class thats below that. There is a UK sub 500kg category hidden away somewhere. I think that also has / Needs a power limit and probably electric only.
K cars for most folk who live in a town / city with the light car for urban only / second car useage. Business exceptions perhaps. Bigger cars if you want or live and work outside our conurbations Use the classes both for access into cities and for taxation.
Smaller lighter cars use less energy both in consumption and in manufacture. They also kill less pedestrians and cyclists take up less space in our crowded cities and wear the roads less.
lways amazes me how good society is at at completely overlooking the detrimental effects mass car ownership
Because they are outweighed by the mass benefits. Personal mobility and ability to carry large amounts of stuff.
As for the air quality argument....
"the UK is not what we would usually think of as a ‘crisis’. It can still be good to seek improvements in air quality, but only provided these are based on a careful analysis of the costs per life-year saved."
https://wintoncentre.maths.cam.ac.uk/news/does-air-pollution-kill-40000-people-each-year-uk/
At least then tafkastr wouldn’t have to spend their time justifying decisions they clearly feel very self conscious about to the internet
Self conscious? Errrr, yeah - no!
Just back from a ride and a Golf mk7 drove past followed about 30 secs later by a newish X5. The noise difference was barely believable. Noise pollution should be added to the list of reasons to ban large vehicles.
I was also passed by a Tesla and a 2018 Leon. It was surprising how quiet the diesel engine is when cruising. They were similar in noise levels and it was mostly tyres with a bit of wind whoosh.
Because they are outweighed by the mass benefits. Personal mobility and ability to carry large amounts of stuff.
Are they?
A large portion of the population do not drive, including everybody under the age of 17.
We have an entire generation of children who spend most of their time indoors, and a large factor in that is that it's too dangerous to go out, and public spaces have been given up to cars.
These issues also extend to those who do drive, who no longer interact with people in their communities, or get any physical exercise in their day to day life, which leads all kinds of physical and mental health problems.
And as a consequence of over-reliance on cars, we've created an infrastructure that absolutely depends on them. Which leaves the vast majority of people with little choice.
Cars are great. In moderation.
We passed moderation a long, long time ago.
I’m not disagreeing that a larger vehicle could cause more damage to a smaller car, but in my experience I am less likely to have that accident in the first place. When I am driving my van I can see so much more around me. Coming up to a junction , I can see further up the road and am pulling out in to , therefore less chance of pulling out in front of someone. I have to drive at lower speeds so single and dual carriageways , so that makes things safer for a start. Plus it’s a big vehicle , so other Road users should be able to see it easier.
These issues also extend to those who do drive, who no longer interact with people in their communities, or get any physical exercise in their day to day life, which leads all kinds of physical and mental health problems.
Using that logic dishwashers and washing machines should be banned.
As for the under 17s and other non drivers. Family cars. You don't need to be able to drive to benefit from cars.
Too dangerous to go out? Can't say I have noticed. My children managed to walk themselves to and from school from Primary 2 onwards without getting mown down by passing cars.
and a large factor in that is that it’s too dangerous to go out
Where's this? Some inner city shitholes, yes maybe aren't the safest place to wander around, but not the vast majority of the country.
As for the under 17s and other non drivers. Family cars. You don’t need to be able to drive to benefit from cars.
You don't. But as a trade-off they do lose all independence.
Where’s this? Some inner city shitholes, yes maybe aren’t the safest place to wander around, but not the vast majority of the country.
I have a young child myself, who I would love to see playing out on his own, making friends, just as we did when we were kids. But there's absolutely no way. There's traffic doing 30mph down a narrow residential street. And there's no other kids to play with because all their parents are worried about the same thing. The contrast was evident during lockdown when kids came out who I didn't even know lived in the street. And this is in a rural town, not some inner city shithole. I don't personally know anybody, from all different areas, who let their young children out alone. They simply don't feel it's safe. It's something we've normalised. And as a consequence it influences driver behaviour, who feel parents are being irresponsible letting their children out around the traffic.
Butcher +1.
It never ceases to amaze me the speed at which some people drive down our cul de sac, including one family who have young kids of their own who take the racing line down the street and brake hard onto their driveway
"No one should have to forgo everything, that’s not right, but being unwilling to sacrifice anything especially at the expense of others is criminal and should be treated as such."
Contradictory. Yes I know that you mean that we should give up some things but not everything but it's all too personal.
I feel really strongly that people should't be buggering up the environment by driving out to the countryside to ride their ebike when they have perfectly good roads at home where an analogue bike would be kinder to the country side. Now, am I selfish or are they?
Lets take most of the road transport off the roads. Starting with most of the commercial stuff that could go by rail. So what if we can't get it over night. Next week will be fine. The infra structure is there. Look at the netwrok pre Beeching. Stuff the fact that the rail way beds may not have the extra mm needed for modern standards, that's largely irrelevant. The roads would then be safer for all those cyclists who could then avoid driving to the country side.
Don't like my views? Touch, the kind and loving " we all have a right to a say" world we live in allows me to express my opinion.
If Covid had been Ebola we would have seen an end to many of our problems any way.
Sits back and waits for the howls of outrage. 🙂
Oh yeah.
Ban dishwashers.
I feel really strongly that people should’t be buggering up the environment by driving out to the countryside to ride their ebike when they have perfectly good roads at home where an analogue bike would be kinder to the country side. Now, am I selfish or are they?
I don't know about selfish, or just the typical STW moral high ground.
I've heard it all now, how dare you drive to the countryside trails when you have perfectly good roads on your doorstep. Have a word 🤣
Do you line on my cul-de-sac ? It's two drivers on my cul-de-sac that drive too fast, a mum and daughter. Daughter's moved out, so the corner curring on a blind bend and the speed is only a couple of times a week. Mum is a fosterer, so there are about 8 kids, including their own, at the house presently. She's in and out constantly in the car, but whizzing up and down. That said, their lot rarely play out front, unless the weather is really good. Neighbour at the other end has his kids out playing on the road regular, be it the bikes, balance bikes or RC cars.
She’s in and out constantly in the car, but whizzing up and down
Why not have a word?
Sometimes people are blind to their own actions.
She'll possibly tell you to **** off, but worth a try?
That’s the issue though isn’t it - I would happily try and approach it in a non confrontational way, but sadly my expectation is that I’d get a mouthful of abuse in return, and create animosity that I’d rather not have in my street. I think that’s more a reflection on society than people who drive too fast though
