I’m not completely anti-cars like some people, but this is just ridiculous:
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I would not fault anyone for keying that specific car unless it had commercial plates on it…
“Don’t talk to me or my son ever again.”
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There is no way it is safe to have such large and tall vehicles on the roads driven by any random Joe without a commercial driver’s license.
A couple of months ago I borrowed my brother’s full-size pickup to go camping where I knew ground clearance would be an issue for the roads I planned to travel. I normally drive a Scion xB, the difference in so many ways was remarkable. Climbing into and out of the truck, the amount of fuel required to fill it up, literally climbing on top of the hood to clean the windshield at the gas station, difficulty with sight-lines out of the vehicle while driving and parking, and especially the way that other vehicles would move out of the way on the freeway when I came up behind them compared to my normal small car getting ignored or downright bullied on the freeway… It was a wild experience.
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None of those big trucks exist in Europe. They don’t pass road safety tests.
But in America they are like guns. Owning one is an inalienable right.
Eh, I’ve seen such Trucks a couple of times, but probably about the same amount that I’ve seen a Mustang or a Hummer, which is to say: Very rarely, and thank goodness for that.
I think what’s keeping them at bay isn’t safety tests, but import fees and their gas consumption.
Yeah you’re probably right. Or it’s a mix. Because they don’t pass safety tests and have huge fuel consumption, there isn’t a standard import market. That means individuals have to import them one at a time, and that is money and effort most people aren’t willing to spend. I do see a few hummers in Berlin, but they are about as common as stretch limousines or other novelty vehicles.
Import fees? These exist in more than one country?!
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Fuck Santa
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Not in the headline, but this article has a little graph that shows how even an all-electric car is way more damaging carbon-wise than a regular old bus. Electric cars are not the answer, but an electric moped could be.
A moped replaces pretty much none of the utilities a car does for me and is unusable for 33%+ of the year. It would literally add to my carbon footprint to give me another mode of travel, even an electric one.
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Speak for yourself, but a very large amount of car travel in the US is a car driving with a single occupant (the driver) and no cargo. An electric moped can carry not only a passenger, but also more cargo than you realize. Quite a large number of car trips in the US could be replaced by them. And considering how many of those cars are actually enormous SUVs or trucks…
About 38 percent of all trips were personal vehicle trips with a single occupant (driver only)
They are also not unusable for 33%+ of the year. People in many places around the world are brave enough to ride all kinds of non-cars in cold rain and snow. That just requires an attitude adjustment.
You clearly didn’t read the article since what they are suggesting is giving a subsidy on the purchase of a moped, much like what we do for electric cars. Only make that subsidy so large that the moped ends up being free. People who truly would not ever use it would simply not go and get one. They’re not suggesting wastefully dumping one at everyone’s front door.
The biggest change suggested in the article is what Scott mentioned, not limiting the rebate to 10% of the purchase price, but instead giving full cash value up to the limit. That idea, anti-car absolutism aside, is a strong one for opening transportation options if you open it up to bikes (both electric and normal).
I don’t know Rad’s transit profile, but I know mine. And I live in Rochester, which doesn’t have as strong a transit footprint as NYC. Plus, I’m willing to bet our winters are worse than NYC. I totally understand what Rad says when he talks about a third of the year being unusable for a non-enclosed ride. I ride a bike all winter long; I’m not going to say it’s without the inconvenience of winter cold, snow, and wind.
And my bike doesn’t cover everything I need. I rely on delivery far more than I might if circumstances were different. There are certain tasks that would be easier if I had an e-bike, especially if it was a cargo-bike.
But it’s hard to ask people to give up the convenience of a climate-controlled cab. And the simple fact of being physically able to ride a bike, not having impaired mobility. The culture of giant trucks and SUVs is a separate subject, a cultural one that is driving itself in an Escalading spiral.
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