Transportation Connections

When cars were first invented by Benz various people, they were a curiosity and powered by Steam. Technically Daimler and Benz (of Mercedes Benz, with Mercedes being Daimler's daughter) invented the carburetor to enable reliable engine firing, but that let him build cars that would run.

The first Horseless Carriages were clunky and slow curiosities, Victorian follies. Eventually, other refinements allowed the automobile to show off speed and manueverability and that lead to sponsored races and other public events. It was the Modern Era, after all. One of Science, not superstition, leading the way forward. We could build machines to make the world a better place for everyone. Clean water, roads, plenty of food to eat thanks to mechanization. It was a wondrous age of machines.

Car races were a great way to show off advancements in technology. This eventually lead to more formalized racing sports like the 24 Hours at Le Mans. It also lead the various Formulas, where similar cars raced against each other for serious prize money, and tickets sold to the public paid for the prizes. Formula One is the modern example of that evolution. It is not the only formula for racing, but it is the fastest and most famous.

Car races got the public talking about it over the water cooler or down at the barbershop. It also got them comparing cars and having parts upgraded for performance. Who has the better car? Is that new model any good?

Car review articles, then magazines, then radio and TV shows and websites evolved into things like Top Gear, which takes car reviews and turns them up to 11. And they can be quite funny about it too.

Cars are only part of the picture. Between 1900 and 1925, most towns and cities had taxi service and/or streetcar lines to move people around. Between 1920 and 1925, Standard Oil, General Motors, and Philips Petroleum and a consortium of tire manufacturers realized that they could increase sales and get rich if they just bought up and dismantled this public transit system in every town, forcing people to buy those new-fangled automobiles, put tires on the wheels, and buy gasoline every week. And it wasn't even illegal. So they did it and got rich.

Now that the gasoline is running out, we need those systems rebuilt everywhere they were destroyed. There's business opportunities there, but the public won't fund public transit until AFTER its too late to save our economy, and then they won't be able to pay for it. Ironic? Yes, yes it is. That's people for you. They're too busy with their own lives to worry about the future, even if that future is painfully obvious, and if that requires doing something before it all falls apart? "Well, that's the politician's job, leave me alone." That's how the public feels.

It doesn't help that social standards have fallen so far that public transit is physically dangerous. That train and bus stations often stop in really bad areas and you're risking your life to use them in many cities. Waiting at a bus stop isn't a great use of time and lack of funding means those buses come all too rarely to be useful as transportation, more as a delay in getting where you want to go. So most people just keep grumbling about the cost of fuel and keep driving. Right up till they go bankrupt. And that points us back to 2-wheeled transportation. No waiting at the bus stop in the rain. You'll be riding through the rain on 2 wheels instead. Comfortable? No way. Independent? Absolutely.

Were I a young pretty coed trying to get my nursing degree and I had to choose between waiting in a dark bus stop in a bad part of town for far too long after class (risking rape or murder by 2-legged predators) or a bit of discomfort and risk riding AWAY FROM THEM on a scooter? Scooter, absolutely. Or motorcycle. Whatever. Mobility is a strong defense against predators.

These are desperate times, and desperate measures are called for. If you can carpool to school or work, do so. If you can't deal with the disappointments of people screwing over the carpool and making everyone late, or your boss will fire you, you need to think outside the metal box of comfortable 4-wheeled transportation. Uncomfortable transportation might be the answer.

Maybe a Geo Metro since they're cheap and have good fuel economy. They're slow and wheezy and have electric nothing (but lights and ignition). They'll get you there at Prius-level fuel economy for a fraction of the price. If you MUST have lots of seats, think about something slightly bigger but still light weight. Do you really NEED a station wagon or SUV? Most of the time? No. Not unless you have dogs in the back. For the rest a sedan is just fine.

My Honda Accord gets 32 mpg on the freeway, a lot less in town. It seats 5 comfortably and has a full sized trunk, electric everything, sunroof, leather seats and they go for about $3500 used. Its got 165K miles and had its timing belt changed twice so will run for another 80K miles. My last fill up landed me only 15 mpg, but half my trips were moving the car from one side of the driveway to the other, and the other half were trips to work, and that blizzard, which was 80 minutes going 2 miles in stop and go, spinning my wheels on ice and slush. Not the best conditions or gears for good fuel economy. Still, it's paid for and big enough. An SUV in these conditions would get worse mileage.

There's a guy in town who is running one of those 36cc gas motors on this bicycle to climb the hills. Its loud, which is why I won't consider it, though maybe I should. I just need a better muffler. The alternative is an electric bike setup, provided it will fit my bicycle. That gets me up the hill, silently thanks to it being an electric motor.

I have a bike in the basement this would work with. My old mountain bike would work fine, particularly if I mounted the battery on or under the bike rack. This is more cost effective than spending thousands on the scooter, and it doesn't require the licensing and DMV registration.The problem I see with this is the cheapest kits are at least $400+, and if you want regenerative braking and smoother controls to add to your power strokes, like the Bionx kit, you're getting to $1200 for the kit. The upside is they're actually really good, and still qualify as bicycles so can use paths and bike lanes etc, so long as they're under 21 mph. If I go without the regenerative braking that saves hundreds. Competitors point out that regen isn't very efficient and you're better off just buying better batteries. And the better batteries these days seems to be Lithium Iron Phosphate. Its not as dense as a Gel-Thermite battery, but it has the advantage of actually existing and being available for sale. Prices are hugely variable, from $111 to $900 for those, in various voltage and amperages. And how is battery life? How many charge cycles before it's useless?

My primary issue is not the distance, but the climb of first 200 feet up a slope in heavy traffic, then 500 feet up a steep slope with less traffic but lots of exhaust. This is the route I currently drive. At 15 mpg and only 4 miles per day, that is costing me 27 cents/day. That's not much. It is safe and convenient.

The alternative route is two short 300 foot climbs up a steep narrow slope with traffic followed by a gentle slope even narrower and treed, so lighting will be key for safety. Any close calls with vehicles brushing me there could be fatal or so frightening I give up the idea of pedal power. If that's the case, save towards full-traffic-speed scooter/motorcycle.

As I look at this, I find myself worrying about the dangers of the ride. Maybe I'm worrying too much, but maybe not. Danger is why I gave up my last 2 mile bicycle commute. All those close calls with Minivans and SUVs with the driver texting. To them I was just a pedestrian to be ignored. One of the better arguments for the full scooter or motorcycle is you are moving at traffic speed so are visible as "traffic" rather than "pedestrian" to other drivers. This is an important mental leap.

Many kits are $500-800. This is not as cheap as I'd like for something which comes with wheels to make it easier to steal. The battery is quickly detachable for recharging, but its also portable $500 drug money that can be resold on Ebay by the dealer or his fence. That means I can't park it at the market or movie theater or leave it unattended, ever. I need to investigate if I can set the controller with a speed lockout so its still legal at 20 mph, but still deliver the power needed to propel my 190 pounds and my bike and the 8-20 pound battery pack at 20 mph up a steep hill, assisting my pedaling after a hard day AND run lights so I'm visible to traffic. These are good people in this town, but I want to make it easier for them to see me so there's no tragic accidents.

My friend Brian, a local I worked with doing GIS 10 years ago, recommends I just pedal harder since it would make me more fit and I'd be saving all that money. And there's something to that. As it is now, if my bike is stolen its no big deal. I can ride the spare till it's stolen too, then buy a new bike to replace it for $100 from Kmart or Target. And eventually, either the cost of electric bikes will come down or people will just adjust their lives to bicycling and deal with the wheezing. In the end, Peasants won't have access to fuel because it will be reserved for the Liberal Elites in their Limousines. We have Diane Feinstein to thank for that term. She was famous for her hypocrisy, and remains so today.

For the cost of a fancy electric bike, ($2800)

I can buy the scooter I want, Piaggio Fly 150

Or the moped that's better, MadAss 125

Or a half the cost of the motorcycle I want.

And that means that electric bikes aren't there yet. They're still too expensive. We each individually have to take chances and solve our transportation problems since the Govt really doesn't give a damn. There's no legal requirement for them to care. That's hogwash they say to get elected. Lying to the public gets you a second term. Ask Bill Clinton.

The upshot is I still need to sign up for my motorcycle safety class, buy the fitting gear I need, read the manual completely, a couple times, attend the classes, and get licensed to ride a motorized 2-wheel vehicle. A pity I can't get a reworked and modernized Honda Passport with the shielded side pipes. Those are kinda bad-ass.

This is a 1964 model, still working somewhere. The MadAss is pretty much this with a better suspension and smoother tires, better brakes. You can put a long rack behind the seat on a madass, and a heat shield to keep the exhaust off your groceries. Or I can keep paying 27 cents/day for my current commute. Yeah, sometimes its not entirely about cost. And sometimes it is.