I’m now a few days into using an electric cargo bike (a Tern GSD) as my primary form of transportation. It’s…awesome.
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the bus lane enthusiastreplied to the bus lane enthusiast last edited by
@inthehands okay I exaggerate; there are a few quick fixes that could be implemented next week, but the political capital to implement those quick fixes is what's missing.
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@cxj I don’t know. My casual research suggested that the sunk carbon cost of the bike is so much lower than a car that I didn’t need to get too specific.
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Paul Cantrellreplied to the bus lane enthusiast last edited by
@t54r4n1
100%. Movement on this is happening at the city level, where in some cities, some portion of the political capital •does• exist. I’d say that good bike infra is…maybe like a 55-45 issue in very progressive Mpls right now. -
@inthehands "Arcimoto FUV has a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and an estimated city range of 102.5 miles (165 km). Arcimoto claims it achieves an efficiency of 173.7 MPGe. Also comes with a number of creature comforts including heated seats, heated grips (did we mention it has handlebars instead of steering wheel?), Bluetooth speakers, removable half doors and lockable rear storage." My friend took me for a spin in cool weather. I thought it might be like flying in an open-cockpit biplane. ️
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Not to mention mass transit in Fort Collins seems oriented towards campus. When the put in the Mason Street bus line, I had hoped they would run lots of smaller buses east-west along major corridors and use Mason to shift north and south
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@shonin
Eek, 75mph in that sounds terrifying! -
@ronpar
I had the impression that was/is the hope, but there’s neither the density nor the political capital to support it yet -
@inthehands Da Brim works well for me, especially sitting upright.
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@jlundell Thanks! Just hearing from anyone who’s even laid hands on it IRL is super helpful.
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@inthehands I've given up my car in favour of a cargo bike. I do miss driving -- it's something I did very much enjoy -- but driving a 1500 Kg vehicle to move 70 Kg of human is not something I can ethically justify in a #ClimateEmergency, no matter what it's powered by.
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@simon_brooke
I also find a pleasure in driving a car along a mountain road with no traffic, but that kind of pleasure is rarely what driving is like in daily life! Pleasure driving only would certainly have a lower carbon footprint. -
@venite @inthehands I've been eyeing up e-trikes. If it can give me the independent, no-car range I used to have walking before I got covid, that would be incredible. I could go to the local shops!
I had decided I couldn't justify the cost. But then I found out I'm due some inheritance money from Granny, which is roughly the price tag of the one I like. I think she'd be thrilled at the idea of me riding around on something so utterly ridiculous yet completely practical.
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@JetlagJen I have long covid too and agree that it would be wonderful! Lean into the ridiculousness. (Actually a lot of trikes have clever little construction things that make cycling people go “unf” when they take the time to notice.)
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DeterioratedStuccoreplied to Paul Cantrell last edited by
@inthehands
Watching with interest and supportive feels. I'd like to use my (small!) car less, and shopping and band practice are the things which I'd start with.
Unfortunately bass guitar is my main instrument, and it's not a bike-scale thing - especially with an amp. -
@venite @JetlagJen
Wishing you both health, mobility, and independence!! -
Paul Cantrellreplied to DeterioratedStucco last edited by
@SoftwareTheron
I imagine would be a comfortable fit in a cargo bike like the Urban Arrow, and you could probably get it on a GSD with some thought. An upright bass, on the other hand…. -
Chris Johnsonreplied to the bus lane enthusiast last edited by
@t54r4n1 @inthehands Exactly. That 20-50 year timeframe is the length of the battle without political capital. If we can change that political part some how, technologically it could be done damn near overnight (days to a few years).
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Jeff Miller (orange hatband)replied to Paul Cantrell last edited by
@inthehands Alongside skin, UV eye exposure is another possible concern; my dad has been a daily bicycle rider for decades and eventually had cataract lens replacement; though it's not uncommon as a general procedure these days.
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Paul Cantrellreplied to Chris Johnson last edited by
@cxj @t54r4n1
I mean…•some• things really will take decades. Fundamentally changing the housing density of a whole city, for example, really can’t happen overnight. (Even Robert Moses, near near-authoritarian power over local development in NYC, took 40+ years to reshape NYC as being as car-centric as it is.)But •some• things could indeed happen really fast: reworking streets for lower-mass vehicles, replacing old HVAC with heat pumps, ending petrochem electricity….
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Paul Cantrellreplied to Jeff Miller (orange hatband) last edited by
@jmeowmeow
Thanks, that’s a good heads up!