[News] 2030 and Electric cars.

[Easy 10]

I work 19 miles away. Would I give up my car to cycle that round trip 3 days a week ? And in winter ? Answers on a postcard.

And I have SUCH fond memories of that OSR cycle lane, just sitting there in all those wonderful tailbacks from the Boundary Road junction. I'd never been so up-to-date with my weekly podcasts. Cracking scheme that, what a mystery they put it all in, then a few months later ripped it all up. Just another 2% on the council tax bill I expect, so no harm done.

And I've always loved that extra westbound cycle lane right next to the two-way cycle lane along the Kings Road. Lovely bottleneck of traffic coming away from the Palace Pier roundabout. Genius! I'd love to meet the ponytailed, latte-guzzling tweed-clad yoghurt-muncher who came up with that one, and warmly shake his clammy limp vegan hand.

I await the brickbats. #donshelmet

 

[Horses Arse]

I work 19 miles away. Would I give up my car to cycle that round trip 3 days a week ? And in winter ? Answers on a postcard.

And I have SUCH fond memories of that OSR cycle lane, just sitting there in all those wonderful tailbacks from the Boundary Road junction. I'd never been so up-to-date with my weekly podcasts. Cracking scheme that, what a mystery they put it all in, then a few months later ripped it all up. Just another 2% on the council tax bill I expect, so no harm done.

And I've always loved that extra westbound cycle lane right next to the two-way cycle lane along the Kings Road. Lovely bottleneck of traffic coming away from the Palace Pier roundabout. Genius! I'd love to meet the ponytailed, latte-guzzling tweed-clad yoghurt-muncher who came up with that one, and warmly shake his clammy limp vegan hand.

I await the brickbats. #donshelmet

I wouldn't cycle 19 miles away either. Car would be a nightmare too. However, the car journey would be easier without folk driving kids to school, folk driving 3 miles to work etc, without people being arseholes and demonising cyclists.

Celebrate those who cycle and provide cycle paths to get more people cycling. It should reduce the cars on the road if we werent so bloody obsessive over car use.

 

[Easy 10]

I wouldn't cycle 19 miles away either. Car would be a nightmare too. However, the car journey would be easier without folk driving kids to school, folk driving 3 miles to work etc, without people being arseholes and demonising cyclists.

Celebrate those who cycle and provide cycle paths to get more people cycling. It should reduce the cars on the road if we werent so bloody obsessive over car use.

I'm not demonising cyclists, far from it. I'm a cyclist myself.

I'm just not overly impressed with some of the hair-brained schemes that are inflicted on our major roads with a view to closing off entire lanes, deliberately clogging up the traffic in order to accommodate extra cycle lanes, in order to tick a clappy green box. It causes more issues than it solves as we all sit there stationary next to an empty cycle lane, belching fumes and spending even more time burning fossil fuels than we need to.

 

[Horses Arse]

I'm not demonising cyclists, far from it. I'm a cyclist myself.

I'm just not overly impressed with some of the hair-brained schemes that are inflicted on our major roads with a view to closing off entire lanes, deliberately clogging up the traffic in order to accommodate extra cycle lanes, in order to tick a clappy green box. It causes more issues than it solves as we all sit there stationary next to an empty cycle lane, belching fumes and spending even more time burning fossil fuels than we need to.

Don't you think part of the reason for empty cycle lanes is due to demonisation and hatred of cyclists though? There's such an anti movement, mind boggling the hatred it generates.

Also due to some of the cycle lanes being shite of course.

 

[Easy 10]

Don't you think part of the reason for empty cycle lanes is due to demonisation and hatred of cyclists though? There's such an anti movement, mind boggling the hatred it generates.

Also due to some of the cycle lanes being shite of course.

Not sure about that. I don't think any cyclist goes out thinking "I'm not using that cycle lane, because everyone will hate me". Cycle lanes sensibly implemented are fine. But when councils shut off entire lanes of some of the most arterial routes in the city to accommodate bikes, its just counter-productive. There simply isn't the demand, its not practical or possible for such a large percentage of drivers to ditch the car in favour of a pushbike, even if they made EVERY road single-lane, one for cars and one for bikes.

Its woolly-headed idealist nonsense. Nobody is driving for fun. The vast, vast majority are not making a 1.5m round trip to buy a bottle of milk at a corner shop. Trying to force more people to ditch the car to buy a Grifter and huff their way around...crackers.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Weird idea and sure won’t work or would have been done, but why can’t we just have a standard size/shape for the battery and not own that part. Buy the car, turn up at something like a petrol station, give them the near empty one, pay some money, click in/connect up the full one and off we go. I know they are heavy but sure it could be changed by machinery in under 5 minutes and later in a speedier fashion.

 

[beorhthelm]

Don't you think part of the reason for empty cycle lanes is due to demonisation and hatred of cyclists though? There's such an anti movement, mind boggling the hatred it generates.

Also due to some of the cycle lanes being shite of course.

could just be not that many people want to cycle.

trouble is there are more reasons not to cycle that to do so, before any demonisation. people like to keep cycling to lesuire, i've noticed at work many talk about cycling but drive/bus/walk to work and shops, leaving the bike to weekends.

 

[Horses Arse]

Not sure about that. I don't think any cyclist goes out thinking "I'm not using that cycle lane, because everyone will hate me". Cycle lanes sensibly implemented are fine. But when councils shut off entire lanes of some of the most arterial routes in the city to accommodate bikes, its just counter-productive. There simply isn't the demand, its not practical or possible for such a large percentage of drivers to ditch the car in favour of a pushbike, even if they made EVERY road single-lane, one for cars and one for bikes.

Its woolly-headed idealist nonsense. Nobody is driving for fun. The vast, vast majority are not making a 1.5m round trip to buy a bottle of milk at a corner shop. Trying to force more people to ditch the car to buy a Grifter and huff their way around...crackers.

The reason cycling isn't as widely used is due to fear, that fear due to the weird hatred of cyclists. Its not woolly headed nonsense, its as clear as day.

It's insane, people on bikes reduce congestion for car drivers, they should be respected and celebrated. Instead there's disrespect at very best.

People regularly drive to the shops a couple of miles away. Schools too. Kids go to local schools yet everyone notices the lack of morning traffic when there's a school break. That's not because everyone is on holiday, it's due to the short car run.

People are obsessed with driving, utterly obsessed. Nothing gets folk worked up like the prospect of not being able to drive. Just need to look at the queues for fuel during the refinery blockade. Or is that woolly nonsense because they were all nurses that had to have fuel to get to the hospital where they work, 30 miles away......

 

[Horses Arse]

I'm not demonising cyclists, far from it. I'm a cyclist myself.

I'm just not overly impressed with some of the hair-brained schemes that are inflicted on our major roads with a view to closing off entire lanes, deliberately clogging up the traffic in order to accommodate extra cycle lanes, in order to tick a clappy green box. It causes more issues than it solves as we all sit there stationary next to an empty cycle lane, belching fumes and spending even more time burning fossil fuels than we need to.

That first line reminds of of the once famous excuse - "some of my best friends are black"

Heard many many times. If you cycyled at all regularly then you'd be acutely aware of how vulnerable you are on a bike due to the demonisation of cyclists in this country. I don't understand it, but it's very real.

Take a look at the thread where someone kills a cyclist for cycling on a cycle path. Folk on here trying to find reason for excusing it. "Was it well enough signposted, was she wearing a helmet, did she have lights, did she slow down."

Christ on a bike!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

These conversations sometimes seem like another culture war front. Which is basically the last thing we need.

I do think there's a place for a bit of nudge theory from the authorities here. Just like with charging for carrier bags, they can make it less and less attractive to drive in cities and more and more attractive to take public transport or cycle.

My solution would be city ULEZ schemes. So for example, a £10 charge to get into Brighton and Hove if your vehicle is non compliant. Is it totally fair? Well no. But It's not totally fair that me and my kids breathe in air pollution every day either because we live on a route into the city.

 

[worthingseagull123]

Oh it is when used unnecessarily - no doubt about it.

I'm not saying I'm not guilty of it. Two cars in my family, living in London. Bloody ridiculous really. I try to be good and cycle when car journeys are unnecessary but I, like most others, are bloody lazy and selfish at times.

Selfish filling roads with traffic and making roads more dangerous as a result.

One place of work I can get to as quickly using bike/train as using the car when there's no traffic. When there's traffic the car can take 2 or 3 times as long. Yet I drive more frequently than I cycle/train. Why? There's no logical reason. Ridiculous.

Obsessed with car travel as a 1st choice. Its ingrained.

What would constitute unnecessarily?

The person who choses to drive makes the decision as to whether their journey is necessary or not. Certainly not for you to decide for others.

As for being selfish, that is not how society sees it.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I drive around in an EV daily.

Hyundai Kona has a bit of go off the line.

 

[severnside gull]

I travel regularly from the south west up to Birmingham for work. An electric car remains impractical - after an 8 hour work day I want to get home not be sitting at a service station waiting for the battery to charge. And in 10 years time I don’t want to find myself with a car that won’t run because some idiots in government didn’t invest in replacement technology.
Instead I walk around my village, get the bus to the station, and catch a train to work - 2 uninterrupted hours to prep for meetings and no motorway stress.
Lucky to have a bus service I guess.
The car is reserved for the 20 mile round trip to the supermarket once a week but doubles as a campervan for holidays. Sorted

 

[Blue3]

The roadmap entitled "battery2030eu" sets out how the EU is working towards new sustainable battery technology to replace the resource limited current lithium technology combined with new renewable energy production wind solar water and small nuclear the future for carbon free travel looks promising, I do personally think battery driven will be ultimatley overtaken by hydrogen fuel cells

Currently in Norway watching driverless buses trundle along sadly not totally electric

 

[Horses Arse]

Currently in Norway watching driverless buses trundle along sadly not totally electric

Ae they stopping for you? Hell of a design fault if not

 

[chickens]

These conversations sometimes seem like another culture war front. Which is basically the last thing we need.

I do think there's a place for a bit of nudge theory from the authorities here. Just like with charging for carrier bags, they can make it less and less attractive to drive in cities and more and more attractive to take public transport or cycle.

My solution would be city ULEZ schemes. So for example, a £10 charge to get into Brighton and Hove if your vehicle is non compliant. Is it totally fair? Well no. But It's not totally fair that me and my kids breathe in air pollution every day either because we live on a route into the city.

I’m 100% not anti-cycling, only the Lycra and Oakleys gang annoy me, and I’m certainly not at war with anyone who feels differently to me, but cycling’s not the answer to urban travel for the rest of us,. I wish it’s advocates well, but for someone like me I’d be a danger to myself and others on a bicycle.

Ideally, you’d have sorted the public transport before you began making life difficult for drivers. Brighton is comparatively excellent for public transport compared to many other places in the country, but even there, the last time I was in town, journeys were still quicker and cheaper by car. If you want people to switch, you have to be demonstrably and reliably better.

The fact is people don’t want to be cold, wet, late, pay more, or be waiting aimlessly.

Public transport historically has often involved some or all of those things. We (as a society) have to come up with a way of removing those pain points. When we do, people will leave their cars, but short of legislation banning cars, I suspect not until then.

 

[Audax]

The trouble being of course that people are unwilling to give up owning cars.

Indeed. And the vast majority of those cars spend the majority of their time parked on a drive (at home) or the side of the road (as close to home as possible) or at work (either an office carpark, or nearest other parking) not being driven.

IMO - in cities at the very least - we should be trying to shift people away from the "personal ownership" model and towards "collective ownership" - the process has started with the emergence of car clubs. The transition needs to be quicker, though.

 

[Stat Brother]

Who wouldn't want more of this?

 

[zefarelly]

I'm not demonising cyclists, far from it. I'm a cyclist myself.

I'm just not overly impressed with some of the hair-brained schemes that are inflicted on our major roads with a view to closing off entire lanes, deliberately clogging up the traffic in order to accommodate extra cycle lanes, in order to tick a clappy green box. It causes more issues than it solves as we all sit there stationary next to an empty cycle lane, belching fumes and spending even more time burning fossil fuels than we need to.

This . . . The cycling lanes, not all, but some, initiated in some areas are a f***ing embarrassment to anyone who can stand up straight, let alone ride a bike.

This has nothing to do with the Green party per se, it's all local twats and varires, quite literally by the mile.

It's not profitable at a level to interest anyone with any real power so will continue to be a shit show.

IMO. Obvs.

 

[worthingseagull123]

Who wouldn't want more of this?

Attention seekers on Twitter like Adam?