Comments | applez: Matters of Transit

applez

Matters of Transit

Oct 22, 2008 18:00

1. The Z-Line across the Bay...I love it!

2. Small car safety.

3. Intermodal transit with folding bicycles!

4. Folding Bike Reviews: small wheel folding bikes; large wheel folding bikes; Bike Friday; Strida.

Strida v. A-Bike here. 2005 favs. Brompton best? Hmm.

For up to 7 miles, the Dahon Vitesse D7HG is recommended, as of May 08 ( Read more... )

bicycle, transport

Comments 2

ext_3059 October 23 2008, 14:02:42 UTC

1. I was two paragraphs in, and i thought "I have to send this to BLDG BLOG!". Two more, and found out it had *come from* BLDG BLOG. I should have known! Anyway, top idea.

2. WTF? Do americans really think small cars are dangerous? Moreover, do they really think any Japanese car is going to be less safe than any American one? No offence!

3. This happens quite a lot in the UK - my dad does it, for instance. It's a really good idea. If it takes off, though, we're going to need more baggage room on trains.

5. Hurrah! I was struck by the graph - three times as many bikes as cars are produced per year?!

applez October 23 2008, 20:38:01 UTC

1. So cool, it has to happen. Funny Zipline evangelism though. ;-)

2. Tom, you may recall that it was my country that celebrated "Bash a Honda" during the last Nipponophobic phase. Seeing large beer-fueled American laborers in joyous sledge hammering of the efficient subcompacts tends to leave an impression. ;-)

EDIT: To answer your question seriously, unfortunately it's true - the average American consumer tends to believe "greater mass = greater safety," and actually find the intimidation factor (or at least the intimidation parity against other SUVs, trucks, buildings) acceptable or even desirable. I think there's little mistake that seniors and ethnically smaller women are a significant demographic for these vehicles' market (and marketing teams).

There's also something lodged deep in the typical American driver's psychology - they are not a member of a community, they are not sharing a public resource with others - they are a world entirely unto themselves, on their own orbit, that have the frequent irritation of being placed ( ... )