What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.
by cmlek » Tue 07 Mar 2006, 16:19:24
I'm with you Magnus - I don't have a license yet (I'm 25), and I keep wondering why I should. The cost of buying even a used car, maintaining it, and paying for insurance seem very high for the dubious benefits I might receive by using one.
I pretty much walk and bike - I managed to live within walking distance of everything: work, groceries, farmer's market, college, hardware store, natural market, restaurants. The only thing I can't get to so easily is the Petsmart, so I trade favors with a friend with a car (and buy in bulk so I don't have to go more than 2x/month). I bike as much as I can, but I far prefer to walk in winter than to double the already biting wind.
Every now and then I'll take the busses when I'm near campus.
Melissa
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cmlek
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by BlisteredWhippet » Wed 08 Mar 2006, 03:40:21
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 't')he electric bike issue has a problem or two: if gasoline is unavailable for one's car, then the economy would be falling apart woudn't it? So what good would an electric bike do? In my situation, I have to drive to a different school every day. If I can't get gas, then neither can anyone else. Also, if everybody has to go electric for transportation, where is all this electricity going to come from? So the question is, should I fork out a thousand or so for an electric bike?
A thousand is a bargain! Take a look at the Optibike... granted it seems like a killer ride. Only $5,000 out the door. A battery will last 400 rides... or a little over a year if you ride every day... and that will cost you $350 to replace.
That said, why the hell not? The world's coming to an end and we might as well get our jollies!
Seriously, some of these 'lectric bikes are hella cool. Saw one in Seattle a few months ago, the kind with pancake electric motors in the wheels. Thing was screaming by at 25mph. If its cooler than a car, I say why not? Especially if its still a decent bike after you've removed the spent battery and motor.
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by ubercynicmeister » Wed 08 Mar 2006, 19:10:36
Hi Peaker 2005
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lokutus', 'I') hope that Peak Oil brings trains back.
Bring back the train? I commute by train everyday, have done for the last seven years! I'm living the future! Come on in, the waters fine.
Or maybe not in the US where the term "public transport" is a term of abuse, but hey, that's not my problem.
I use the train when it's too far to walk. I personally detest buses. I expect trams will make a comeback, and once the crash happens, they'll start building them like there's no tomorrow (the plans are already there, they just need to be implemented).
Even with Sydney's problems, I'd rather catch the train than drive (even if I could). Even when it means standing on a plaform for an hour.
I guess it helps if you're a gunzel...
LOL, Et Tu, Peaker? Yup, I love trains, too, and don't travel on 'em as much as I'd like to. "Trams " or "light rail" will make a huge come-back (if we don't tip right over the edge into a full-blown Die-Off) and I expect that people will start to wonder (after they have started to use them) why it was the system wasn't introduced years ago.
Sydney's tarin system (I asume you mean Sydney Australia) is as a result of the Angle Grinder (Nick Greiner) govt slashing & burning the network - and the idiotic Carr Govt not trying to fix it (remember: fiscal purity is more important than actually having a city that can function).
Oh, did you see that Half-Wit Greiner on TV the other day, when they were talking about Cross Sydney Tunnel? (now THERE is a well-named piece of road infrastructure: it's made most of Sydney quite cross!) Nick "Angle Grinder" was asked by the reporter on 4 Corners about the reversal of the road closures, and he insisted that the reversal would be a minor thing and that the road company (on whose board he sits) would not seek compensation.
They cut across to the newly-appointed CEO of the Cross Sydney Tunnel about reversing the road closures and he stated emphatically that if they did (reverse the road changes) he'd be quite happy to sue the government's boots off.
Hee hee, I dunno if Angle Grinder is just stupid or completely corrupt.
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To answer the question: I travel most places by bus, even though it involves a moderate walk. Actually, since I live in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, the Bus service isn't as frenetic as Sydney's (though it's heading that way) so the trips are often quite relaxing and I enjoy them.
I don't doubt that if we are to survive as a civilistaion, trams (light rail) will become an intergral part of our lives once again. I look forward to it, too.
