I also started to see more of these in urban areas of europe. Not a huge amount but still recognizable. I dont get why one would buy something like this. You wont even be able to find a proper parking spot for these.
I think there’s a huge percentage of truck drivers who never use their truck for truck stuff. It’s simply a status symbol to them which is pathetic. And bigger equals better in their feeble minds.
I have a 13 yr old Tacoma and it’s tiny compared to even the modern “small” trucks. When this thing finally dies, I have no idea what I’ll get. I love the size of it though. Maybe a Ford Maverick, but those are on backorder for years I heard from several friends who tried to get one.
They used to be. And then people decided carriages were more convenient than walking. And then people decided cars were more convenient than carriages.
I lived in (and now commute through) a neighborhood of older houses, and higher incomes, so I see a lot of contractor vehicles. It seems like it breaks down as landscapers and lawn services use the pickup trucks; trades companies (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, carpenters, painters, etc.) use vans or box trucks; and the independent guys tend to use Dodge Caravans. Nearby, the university uses fleets of kei trucks (the low-speed versions because “freedom”), Ford Model E vans, and Caravans. I think the landscaping crew has pickups.
There are an increasing number of company pickup trucks, but most of them appear to be pavement princesses, used only for their usual function: transporting egos, not equipment.
I think a lot of car enthusiasts are coming around to this point of view. Cars are fun, but traffic isn't. Give people alternatives and they'll be off the road.
Plus, car dependency makes cars suck. The reason they're all egg shaped CUVs or boxy SUVs is because they're essentially appliances. Everybody needs one so they make them for the lowest common denominator. Fun, affordable cars just don't exist anymore. And even Ferrari is making an SUV.
Finally, I think every car enthusiast will recognize that there are a lot of terrible drivers out there. Making licensing more stringent would weed a lot of these people out, but unless they have a viable alternative they'll just drive without a license.
Bikes take much less space and they will go around people, it’s not uncommon for roads to be shared for bikes and pedestrians at the same time. On the other hand you risk getting hit by a car if you walk into the streets, thus the metaphor of falling down a chasm.
Bikes take much less space and they will go around people,
Well, I seriously doubt that bikes generally go “around” people. For pedestrians in a pedestrian environment, a bike is about as dangerous as a car is for bikes on a road.
you risk getting hit by a car if you walk into the streets
Just like you risk getting run over by a combat-biker in the pavement, the pedestrian zone in the city, or a pedestrian crossing. And don’t tell me those things dont happen - I see them every day.
I don’t know where you come from (I guess US?) but I live in a city that has a very long bike lane shared with pedestrian sidewalk and I take that road very often, nothing ever happens. Worst case scenario I just ring my bicycle bell and they move aside, which is a plus because I love ringing my bell :)
Worst case scenario I just ring my bicycle bell and they move aside
That’s what I’m talking about: Bikers complain about cars, but totally ignore their relationship to pedestrians. “I ring my bell and let them hop away”…
Asking for room is OK. But the usual tone is “jump out of the way, or else!”. Just today there was a letter to the editor in the newspaper about reckless bikers in a busy underpass here. Admittedly, this underpass is to narrow for it’s use, but this women regularly observes bikers who speed up down the ramp to the underpass and basically plow through the pedestrian passage at full speed from both directions - and the passage is just 3m/10ft wide.
That sounds like really bad pathway design, I presume the underpass has a downhill entry and uphill exit, encouraging cyclists to gain speed on entry to make the exit easier
I would complain about that underpass rather than the people using it the obvious way
Actually, it does not encourage cyclists to speed down there. It is a pedestrian underpass, and the signs say that cyclists must dismount. But cyclists being cyclists, they don’t.
I hope we outright ban loud cars, and give huge fines to people with modifications to make their cars louder, like my neighbour who is a piece of sentient garbage.
Also, making noise reducing tires mandatory for cars would be great too.
Also, to reduce noise of cars even more, we need to reduce vehicle weight, so the heavier a car gets, the more it should be taxed every year. This will encourage automakers to make smaller, quieter, and safer vehicles.
I hate all cars, but since getting rid of them entirely is almost impossible, I’d rather make them less shitty.
It seems like trucks are getting bigger and less useful every year. I am flabbergasted by how many times these giant Canyonero like monstrosities are outdone by station wagons and hatchbacks. Hell even some of the former cars have become SUVs (like the outback below) but seemingly lost space/utility:
fuckcars
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