Electric Vehicles - Really?

[Pigmy Pony]

Cyclists seem to get away with no insurance, so personally I'd chance it. But My working day typically covers 30 to 50 miles per day, plus I don't know where I'd put my ladders and power tools.

I suppose I could get one to play with, but it would probably end up in a corner with my camping gear, air rifles, archery and fishing tackle.

[spendorman]

Not sure if this one has been mentioned already in this thread:

https://youtu.be/CUPHuHV4jak

[User211]

People have to accept transport is a risk, no matter what.

Personally I reckon this is safer than a push bike. Easier to ride, not so far to fall, won't go as fast, easier to dismount in danger.

I also think it is safer than an electric skateboard as the wheels are larger sand not so susceptible to pot holes. It is also less likely to take a solo trip out into the road as it has handle bars. And again it won't go as fast.

[struth]

Soon get a wind up car like the radios

[User211]

Soon get a wind up car like the radios

Surely that's a wind up

[Pigmy Pony]

Soon get a wind up car like the radios

My dad had a wind up car in the sixties, I think it was an Austin A40 or something. He only had to wind it two or three times and it would go for miles.

[Pigmy Pony]

People have to accept transport is a risk, no matter what.

Personally I reckon this is safer than a push bike. Easier to ride, not so far to fall, won't go as fast, easier to dismount in danger.

I also think it is safer than an electric skateboard as the wheels are larger sand not so susceptible to pot holes. It is also less likely to take a solo trip out into the road as it has handle bars. And again it won't go as fast.

I agree 100%, and I'm sure they will become fully legal, just as soon as the government has worked out how it can make money from them.

[walpurgis]

My dad had a wind up car in the sixties, I think it was an Austin A40 or something. He only had to wind it two or three times and it would go for miles.

Great classic car choice the A40, better than the mechanically similar Morris Minor alternative. I'd like a good one.

[Minstrel SE]

You see its all fundamentally wrong and even on this thread people are talking about fitting in with the car on the roads. The car should be regulated and many routes should be wide promenade style pavements where electric scooters, bicycles mobility scooters etc could be used.

It should not be a right to own a car for short trips. Starting with inner city routes we need a culture and roadside survey of where are you travelling to...yes a roadside check leading to fines and heavy congestion charges. The car should be banned in certain areas and public transport improved. A small lane for motor vehicles and deliveries.....all the rest should be paved over for sensible personal use

I want to see people using personal transport with the promotion of cycling and other methods. There is room for all if we are sensible about it

Pedestrians come last if they are silly enough to walk it...just run them over and shovel them onto council wagons....only joking .

We are all in conflict for the space available so it needs a massive spend on road planning....cant see that happening anytime soon and the petrol lobby wont like it

[Pigmy Pony]

It's when you look at the finer details of how to implement these changes that you see just what a massive undertaking this would be.

For example: A good starting point would be addressing a pet peeve of mine - the banning of private vehicles transporting kids to school, the old 'school run'. This alone would greatly reduce congestion during rush hour periods. But the issue of discipline also needs addressing.

A few years ago when Anita (Mrs. Pony) worked for Stagecoach, she often drew the short straw and got the school bus service. The transporting of these precious little bundles was a total nightmare, due to the behaviour of the kids - they would climb over everything, do their best to break off fittings, ring the bell constantly for no reason, throw things from the bus, while kids outside would throw things AT the bus. They often opened the emergency exit doors too, to let their mates sneak on. Sometimes they would flatly refuse to pay their fare and would challenge the driver to do something about it. Of course the driver couldn't - the kid wasn't going to leave voluntarily and to try to physically remove them constituted assault.

What I'm trying to say is that a policy to reduce congestion in town/city centres need to be planned very carefully and wider implications thought through as well. So often it seems that initiatives fail because they've been no more than a 'knee jerk' reaction and create more problems than they solve.