The electric train was invented in 1879. The safety bicycle six years later.
Unleashing the potential of these two “obsolete” technologies is our best bet at addressing the converging climate, health, resource, and inequity crises.
Both technologies do not support the transport of goods. Ever tried to move your weekly shopping load by bike or public transport? Over a distance of 10-20 miles? Or more?
@laemmerbiss@modacitylife I think you’re missing that you shouldn’t have to go 10-20 miles to get to the regular grocery store. If it was within 1-2 miles, the math totally changes. Cities being designed like that is a symptom of car dependency.
If you live in some very rural area, this doesn’t apply to you.
@modacitylife
It's a lot more than that. America reorganized everything around the automobile, and this is at the root of a lot of problems, not just environmental.
Most developed countries were smart enough to not imitate us.
@tofugolem@modacitylife Although, there are some developed countries which imitated American-style infrastructure and then went back (looking at you, the Netherlands). Being able to admit it when you're wrong is one of the greatest strengths.
After all, an industrialized country shouldn't have [too] much difficulty re-routing some roads... right?
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@modacitylife
One of the issues with electric cars is:
Replacing a 500kw ice with a 500kw electric isn't going to do much to mitigate climate change. Allowing cars to be registered that go three times the speed limit greatly increases the danger. Greatly reducing the speed & power of vehicles allowed to be used on the roads should be a primary goal.
@modacitylife chicken and egg. Need better public transport before car ownership can decline and in many places traffic has to decline before cycling is safe enough
@JohnLoader6@modacitylife the Dutch roads are made safe via lack of cars, but it's through deliberate choices by traffic Engineers and planners that driving is not the default choice. There will never be enough parking or traffic lanes if you try to give cars whatever they want first. Induced Demand means people will bike if infrastructure makes that easy, and they'll drive otherwise.
@DesRoin@JohnLoader6@modacitylife and without bikes it would be gridlock. Cars will always fill whatever space they're given so we just need to connect networks of bike+transit options and stop spending so much on widening highways just to get stuck in traffic harder.
@modacitylife I agree that densely populated areas, including cities and suburbs and large towns, can have a significant and better effect on climate through trains, and electric and manual bicycles. We also need to address less dense rural access to public and shared and non-gas transportation. Thank you.
@pattykimura@modacitylife the 20% of people who live outside of cities and drive 50 miles to get to anything don't need to be the first problem we solve in #transportation decarbonization / decarification. However if you look at dutch rural roads you will be more likely to see a bike lane on each edge and a center lane wide enough for just one truck. If you meet a driver coming the other way, you move over where there's no people walking or biking, take turns. They're probably your neighbors
@enobacon
That is incredibly civilised , over here (uk) rural roads are often terrifying to cycle down and the greatest risk is being hit from behind on a bend
@enobacon@modacitylife We solve problems based on our experience bias. I agree that urban centers are the low hanging fruit, and the most essential for immediate solutions. I live in a very hilly, very rural agricultural (food producers, lots of green undeveloped forested space) area of the US. There is no public transit, we just got broadband internet, the nearest supermarket is a 40 minute drive, we were named snowiest area of our state, our Town's population is about majority elderly. Bicycles, as you describe) are not a viable solution - cycling clubs torment themselves on our roads. I did not say areas like ours should be addressed first, but one would hope that there is awareness of a failed public global climate policy that offers no solution or a one sized solution to a shared global climate threat. To solve this globally, we need to think globally, while acting locally.
@pattykimura@modacitylife there are still electric bikes and various smaller electric vehicles than the ones you might choose if fossil fuel is cheap and had no consequences. If you've found yourself being the last justifiable case for burning oil, well I guess. It's going to get expensive though. Small towns had trains once, you know?
@enobacon@modacitylife Funny you would choose to read my comments as a justification for burning oil, which is a failed reading on your part, rather than what it is, a plea for solutions that include people in the world who do not share your privileges of age, mobility, geomorphology, access, wealth and weather. Yes, trains once ran 17 miles from here, connected by a stage coach, wagons, horses, and buckboards. Your reply was unnecessarily mansplaining and condescending - thank you.
@pattykimura funny you seem very dismissive of the solutions which I mentioned. The privilege to live somewhere that's unlivable without fossil fuel may be a bias to your view but some people are already becoming refugees due to climate change and for the most part the cities are where we will need to focus solutions to absorb that population but thanks for your suggestions though.
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