What can you get to within a 15-minute walk of your house?
A recent YouGov survey asked Americans what they think they should be able to get to within a 15-minute walk of their house.
Of these choices, I can currently walk to all of them from my apartment, aside from a university (no biggie, I'm not currently studying, although there is a Tafe within walking distance), a hospital, and a sports arena.
How many can you get to with a 15 minute walk from your house?
Yup here in Canada the gas station or “co-op” is the hub of a small town. It’s where you get your mail, groceries, snacks, smokes, pizza and sandwiches, farm supplies, and lean up against the counter and drink coffee and chat with the neighbours and staff. Oh yeah and they have gas, but you’d better move your truck before you pour your coffee or the next guy who needs gas is gonna be pissed at you.
I have spent far more time socializing at gas stations than bars. See the example “Corner Gas”
Note that aside from the “park” which you could call “everywhere around here”, I am 2 hours of highway travel away from everything on the list. Except the gas station, which is a half-hour drive on gravel/dirt roads.
Needless to say I can see how fuckcars appeals to city folk, but there is no other practical transportation system for us farmers who live way out here. Without a vehicle, you will actually die. I like to go visit my city friends and walk to the bar, though :D
Chargers are starting to show up on the major highways and in the cities and large towns, but it’ll be awhile before they show up in the countryside (if ever) thanks to the chicken and egg issue. It’s a waste of money installing one, because nobody ever brings an electric car out here. And nobody brings an electric car, because without a charger, they don’t have the capacity for a round trip.
I actually went the opposite way and bought a diesel Mercedes for my city trips. Reliable, comfortable, and so efficient that you can go for 1000km without stopping for fuel.
I even have an electric car, a little runabout I use at the farm with lead acid cells. I could make it to town, but without being able to charge it there, I couldn’t get home (30 km lol lead acid sucks).
Charging at home is what makes this specific situation chicken and egg. Since the gas station is the only thing close to our homes, a charger there is useless to us. It only services people who would come from the city, people who wouldn’t be able to make it home without charging, much like how it currently works for us making trips to the city. Without a charger though, they can’t even think of making that trip or they will be stuck.
I’m not really making a point about my little car, except that I love it and I wish used lithium batteries were more available in Canada so that I could install a set that would get it to town and back for the mail. It’s one of the first street-legal electrics ever produced and I’d love to keep it going. 1978!
I guess if there is a point it’s kind of a microscale version of the Canadian issue - in rural Canada, every trip is a long trip. I can’t think of many places that I go that wouldn’t require fast charging to complete the round trip, especially in winter.