Transport

[cromwell]

Or should I rather say, walking and cycling.
Because that's all the government (and local government) ever talk about, walking and cycling.
Honest to God, these people aren't on the same planet as the rest of us.
Local politicians around here are tying themselves in knots about dying city centres. In Wakefield they are talking about fostering "a cafe culture" (this in a city where every other shop is a cafe, a charity shop or a bookies) and the arts and culture.
They are talking about putting up a giant screen to show sporting events on, etc. (Leeds has one, you see). Someone has commented that it will give the smackheads and street drinkers who infest the middle of Wakey something to watch whilst they are slumped on the Cathedral steps.

Wakey councillors are also going to "improve" the Doncaster Road. Christ knows what horrors they will inflict on it. Because they are improving it for buses and cyclists.
Everything locally is being made as difficult as possible for motorists. Pedestrianisation, bike lanes, bus lanes, low emission zones, low traffic neighbourhoods and removal of parking spaces.

So at the same time as they are trying to get rid of the car from the city centre, they are wondering why city centres are dying? Yes, on line shopping has had a big impact.
But in small towns and cities you need the car. Public transport has been on strike for weeks (just went back yesterday) and cycling? Give me a break. People don't jump on their bikes as a family and go and spend money in Wakey. They don't walk there and spend money.

But it is what it is.

This week it has been announced that cycling czar Chris Boardman has been given a budget of two billion pounds to persuade us to leave our cars and buy a gent's tourer with a Sturmey Archer three speed. Two billion!!!

Typical of this government. If there's a problem, throw a cartload of money at it and don't bother thinking.
Boardman says we shouldn't be using cars for short journeys of a mile or less. That might be fine if you are young and fit or live where it's nice and flat. In our village the shops are three quarters of a mile uphill away. I'll go in the car. Having a second bad hip and arthritis in my spine makes walking a mile a toil of a pleasure.

For two billion you could buy 150,000+ of these and give them away free:-
https://maeving.com/

An electric motorcycle. No emissions, low top speed, low range but that doesn't matter because short journeys. Cities in Asia only work because half the population ride old Honda 50's instead of driving a car.

It makes a lot more sense than pretending that the pushbike is going to save the world, but I won't hold my breath.

[Kaz]

Two billion!!!!

[Suff]

For 2bn they could buy this out from the incompetent owners and create a UK company to complete the design and produce them.



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lit_Motors

Elon Musk nearly killed himself on a bike so Tesla will never look at them. The rest of the industry are not interested.

[Workingman]

Don't get me started on this, Cromwell.

Leeds is determined to become the most car unfriendly place on the planet.

Bike and bus lanes everywhere. Blanket 20 MPH speed limit on all but arterial roads. Congestion charge zone as well as a low emissions zone. Humps, bumps, chicanes, speed cushions and sleeping policemen, you name it. There most effective tactic, however, is not repairing the roads - there is an 11 year backlog, yes, you got that, an 11 year backlog.

The last thing anyone would want is Leeds is a two wheeled vehicle of any description - the state of the roads is one big reason people do not cycle.

[Suff]

I'll fix the image when I get on my computer. Handheld image management is a sac of crap.

Think of the above as a 2 wheel car that can't fall over.

[Workingman]

Think of the above as a 2 wheel car that can't fall over.

Or compare it to Cromwell's offer then think of it as a bloody waste of time. It is still a design concept and like nuclear fusion is constantly 2 years away - has been since 2011.

Not only that, it is a rip off of the Swiss EcoMobile that has been on the road since 2008. Then that is a sort-of mod from a 1967 Gyro-X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbdkZB9-Sd4
https://laughingsquid.com/two-wheeled-s ... x-vehicle/

[cromwell]

It's a brilliant concept Suff.
Where the Maeving scores is that it's £5,000 with one battery or £6,000 with two batteries.
Yes WM if the roads are bad who wants to ride a pushbike on them? Swerving around potholes or dropping your front wheel down one is no fun.

[Workingman]

It's a brilliant concept...

Except it isn't. It has been around since 1967. If it is so brilliant why hasn't it taken off?

[Suff]

Because an arse who isn't able to deliver patented the technology and won't let it go.

If the concept was fully applied it would have the ability to quarter traffic congestion and remove all parking constraint in every city in Europe.

But, as has been seen with Tesla, technology and ambition is not enough. You need billions in cash and a hard driving force to make this kind of thing a volume reality.

[Workingman]

One arse, one particular implementation of an idea.

The concept, and practical implementations of the two wheeled car, have been around for 55 years. People are simply not interested. And get this: conventional motorbikes also have the ability to quarter traffic congestion and remove all parking constraint in every city in Europe. I wonder why we don't all have one!?

The BMW C1 was an enclosed scooter protecting the rider from the elements. That also went down well.