The Miniature Microcars of Amsterdam

A really light car would either have to be limited to a very low speed or be terribly unsafe in case of a crash. Since lightness implies small size, it would also not have other desirable properties of cars, like their ability to carry passengers and cargo. That said, there might be something to it: 1. The "bicycle that's more like a car" angle: link , link 2. The "car that's more like a bicycle" angle: ▶ this video

> They suffered and died. They were (mostly) taken care of by extended multi-generational households. They obviously died and/or suffered to the extent that medical and QoL technology was insufficient. The whole status quo of pensioners migrating to Florida-style retirement community necropolis with a F-150 and a rubber stamped driver license is a modern US-centric phenomenon. You are naming disparate & absurd things as the reason that European like walkable communities are bad for old people, like the difficulties of 1930's cities (or perhaps pre-industrial, you aren't very clear), the difference in landmass between the US and Europe (?) and the fact that there is a small range of disabilities that allow someone to drive and shop to Costco but not to go to a cornershop. The reality is that being old sucks ass, but being old and sedentary (when you can avoid it) sucks worse. I've taken care of multiple senior family members & friends, the ones that were active, i.e walking everywhere, not avoiding stairs completely, have lived longer and happier. Sure, even active people gradually lose the ability to do day-to-day stuff and cars or microcars[1] can help them and other people with mobility concerns, but that's not an argument against walkable places. Making streets non-hostile to pedestrians, having necessities closer to residences and prioritizing public transport makes people stop preferring cars as medium of transport if they don't need it (youngsters). This actually helps

> Public transit is no good. It's easy and convenient: • link • link > I don’t want to walk to a station and then share the space with other people. I don’t want to lug grocery bags around. Alright, use a bicycle then. I hear ebikes are pretty good these days. Or use a micro car if you must: ▶ this video . > I want to make pit stops. A bicycle is better than a car for this. > I want to go off road. Bicycle again, but if you really wanna use a car the few times a year you may wanna go off road, go ahead. > Want to live in the suburbs or semi rural areas so I can have a lot of land. By all means, go ahead. Just as long as you pay in full for all the negative externalities you inflict on everyone else by doing so.

It's time to stop making excuses. I'm coming at you with receipts. This is interesting that you say that you can't bike in the winter, Finnish people have no trouble biking in the winter: link It also seems odd that it's no problem to plow and salt a gigantic interstate highway system in the USA but somehow it's impossible to clear some small bike lanes. Before you say "only fit people can cycle," Netherlands has microcars that the elderly and disabled can use on bike lanes: ▶ this video It's weird that you say that installing and operating mass transportation is "completely infeasible" when that's the status quo in Japan. For example, this very rural line with a single rail car has a more frequent timetable than Amtrak's Chicago to Milwaukee train, which connects two large metro areas that are within feasible commuting distance: Video of the line demonstrating how rural it is. Each train only has one car! link Timetable (PDF link) link It's also weird that you say that this can only work in places with high population density, when we know that's not the case. The population of Denmark is similar to Indiana, with Indiana beating Denmark in population density, and the population of Sweden is similar to Ohio, with Ohio having 10x Sweden's population density. Explain then why there's no passenger train from Chicagoland (same size as all of Sweden) to Columbus, Ohio (same size as Copenhagen), a distance of 350 miles (which includes passing through two other sizable cities), but

Please, please watch the videos I linked. Especially the Not Just Bikes channel. For example, this one link can quickly explain why a transport system flooded with autonomous cars and poor public transit would make the overall system worse for everyone . There is also another video that talks about microcars for people with disability and reduced mobility: ▶ this video No rational person can watch those videos and conclude that the best course of action to solve urban transportation requires self-driving cars. Getting FSD cars is just a rich nerd fetish which will not solve anything and likely contribute to make suburban sprawl worse.

I think a lot of people are dismissing some of your very valid points here, cherry-picking things that annoy them. Tough to avoid with a comment of this size, of course, but I do think it's dismissing how much of a role public transit plays in this picture. It sounds like you're saying that public transit has actually gotten worse in recent years in Oslo ("There are museums, cultural events, restaurants, and people to visit that I simply cannot do anymore in any practical sense. I miss that.")... but for the select group of people who CANNOT travel the city using bikes or public transit. Does Oslo really not have exceptions to the "zero car movement" for inviduals with disabilities like yourself? Amsterdam, for instance, allows microcars to use bike lanes: ▶ this video ... which is mildly annoying by bike, but seems like a great solution to let disabled folks take advantage of bike infrastructure. Overall I understand your frustration with how the city accommodates you, but I don't think the solution is allowing more cars in the city. It sounds like you would be best off if the city introduced some solution like microcars, forced all private vehicles (barring exceptions, like moving trucks and deliveries) from the city, and let you get around without traffic. Not sure if bikes are really causing the problems for you. > Except we have winters (should not surprise many) when travelling by bike a good option. (Yes there is a tiny minority who risk life and limb by biking all year aro

Not Just Bikes has a nice video on the Canta and things like it if you'd like to see them in action: ▶ this video

Those "mini cars" (Cantas) can only use bikepaths as long as they are registered as a mobility scooter. There are other non-mobility scooter micro cars mentioned and there is animosity towards those and a possible ban outright on their usage of bike paths. ( ▶ this video )

Don’t EVs take longer to charge than a gas fill-up? Presumably that would be better for a model where you want people to stick around and buy things, not worse. At least in the Netherlands, there are basically mini golf carts that are legally bikes for disabled people. ▶ this video