this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2024
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Fuck Cars

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347
Urban Microcars (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
153 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Society's got priorities wrong.

  • most car travels are 1 person or sometimes 2 person

  • the majority of car travels are quite short, less than 40km.

  • many car travels are just to get some groceries or drop of a little package or just say "hi" to someone, carrying nothing but themselves.

  • cars are fucking expensive, to buy and to maintain

  • accidents become way worse with heavier vehicles

Microcar is a valid answer to all of these, while still being sheltered from weather.

How are urban places (i'm in Belgium) with almost permanent super heavy road traffic congestion, bad climate statistics, high polution values, very limited available space left, no self-sustaining energy production and high traffic accident statistics still pooring in billions and billions in subsidies year after year into "regular" big heavy SUV-like vehicles instead of these? It's beyond my comprehension. The only real valid reason i somewhat get is the collective scare of being in a crash and not wanting to be in the smaller vehicle. We could save the climate, we choose not to.

  • MICROLINO: 17.990 €
  • OPEL ROCKS: 8.699 €
  • CITROEN AMI: 7.790 €
  • RENAULT TWIZY: 13.000 €
  • FIAT TOPOLINO: 9.890 €

A lot of people here casually spend more on a sunday racing bike every few years for fucks sake.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

You cant rollerskate in a buffalo herd but you can be happy if youve a mind to

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (3 children)

"most car journeys are 1 or 2 person"

So why have 5 seats ammiright?

#accountant-brain

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Yuck, no sense of aesthetics. Something can be small but still designed beautifully. I think Mazdas MX5 fits the bill, though it’s more elongated. So I think maybe Fiat 500? There are a lot of EV/non-EV affordable hot hatchbacks which are also great

Edit to say I am not passing judgement on the car designs in OP, just speaking from my own pov. Sorry if it seems judgmental, honestly it doesn’t matter

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

How are urban places (i'm in Belgium) with almost permanent super heavy road traffic congestion, bad climate statistics, high polution values, very limited available space left, no self-sustaining energy production and high traffic accident statistics still pooring in billions and billions in subsidies year after year into "regular" big heavy SUV-like vehicles instead of these?

The answer is corruption.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

WHAT. The Opel is basically exactly what I wanted for months. Why isn't it on the ADAC page??

Oh. Probably because it's an ebike. 45km/h max, wtf.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It's an urban car. Most city streets have a 30 km/h limit anyway. Some are 20 km/h ('living street'). A lot of the more main roady streets in urban environment are 50 km/h, still fine with this. Then the bigger connecting roads might be 70km/h, that would depend on every case for me. Highways are obviously not allowed.

In many streets where the limit is 30-50 km/h, the actual traffic flow is only 10-15 km/h anyway because of congestion. I always feel a cringe seeing people in 600 horsepower vehicles inching by towards the next crossroads, or even worse seeing them wait it out for a minute so they can blast full engine for the solid 200meter and make sure everyone heard them; while I cycle past them at a steady 23 km/h with my 1/4 horsepower legs.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

Just buy a motorcycle and a jacket instead?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (9 children)

I don’t really understand the benefit if microcar over golf carts.

Is my understanding correct?

Microcar

  • built to car safety standards
  • silly looking
  • inconvenient to anyone above average size
  • Don’t appear to too useful
  • expensive
  • fit at most a single person

Golf cart

  • different class of vehicle, limited use
  • can be built cheaper
  • Already a huge variety
  • easier access
  • Useable by people without drivers licenses
  • more usefulness options in sizes, cabins, even trailers
  • cheaper
  • can support families

Instead of proposing we all squish into tiny toy-like cars that are unsafe in car infrastructure, wouldn’t a better proposal be to organize downtowns around cheaper, lower speed golf carts that already have a variety of models and customizations? It would save everyone money, and paperwork, while filling the same efficiency improvements

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