Making the case for a global ban on privately-owned personal transport cars and two-wheelers

[jamahir]

I have often made this topic in posts so I thought why not create a thread for this for discussion and readership.

Privately-owned personal transport vehicles ( cars and two-wheelers ) are I believe the biggest form of pollution in the world, directly through their usage and secondarily through their production. This is multiplied by the many manufacturers producing multiple models per year. The hundreds of millions of middle class people in the world, especially in relatively newly "liberalized" and Capitalist India and China, are exhorted through media campaigns and word-of-mouth to buy the latest vehicle model. To purchase these vehicles the middle class and others indulge in a lifestyle that is polluting and not in harmony with Nature and idealized society. Even the supposedly Nature-friendly electric vehicles like Tesla are no good. So these vehicles not only lead to pollution but also to needless accidents, crime ( including "anti-social behavior" ), chaos and general disharmony. Ask me, who comes from India where all these factors are in extreme.

The simple solution for intra-city travel would be therefore to ban all privately-owned personal transports and replace them with 40-passenger buses and six-passenger taxis ( with sufficient luggage space ) that have been more in number and efficiency. Though privately-owned service vehicles ( food and grocery delivery vans, construction trucks etc ) can be owned. This idea itself is a fine idea and it has precedent too. The planned city called NEOM in Saudia will have no private cars and the planned district of Shezhen city in China called Net City will also have no private cars.

So what could be the form of the intra-city buses and taxis ? There is a good new development in vehicles called Cyclorotors which are aircraft that in modern form have electric motors attached to four hubs at the sides and the hubs have movable blades and when the hubs are spun the blades I think create a force that lift the aircraft and move it forward. The below vid was made known to me credit @Hamartia Antidote. It is a test vehicle from the Austrian company CycloTech and of course I think in full form the hubs will be enclosed with a mesh for safety :

Such a vehicle could not only be used for buses and taxis but also for police vehicles, ambulances and food and groceries delivery vehicles. The fuel for these vehicles can remain petrol which can power the electric motors until the time that new longlife battery technologies like the NDB or research into how the electric eel produces up to 860 volts with a power to stun or even kill crocodiles, do not come about. At 05:21 mins in the below vid there is a visualization of a Russian project called CycloCar which can carry six people or 600 kgs of cargo and has a range of 500 kms with a top speed of 250 kmph :

I think ground vehicles for most things are passe and the future is of the Cyclorotor. And there's no point holding two-yearly climate change conferences if the biggest source of pollution - privately-owned personal transport - is not banned.

---

@fitpOsitive @Bilal9 @Indos @ps3linux others.

 

[fitpOsitive]

I have often made this topic in posts so I thought why not create a thread for this for discussion and readership.

Privately-owned personal transport vehicles ( cars and two-wheelers ) are I believe the biggest form of pollution in the world, directly through their usage and secondarily through their production. This is multiplied by the many manufacturers producing multiple models per year. The hundreds of millions of middle class people in the world, especially in relatively newly "liberalized" and Capitalist India and China, are exhorted through media campaigns and word-of-mouth to buy the latest vehicle model. To purchase these vehicles the middle class and others indulge in a lifestyle that is polluting and not in harmony with Nature and idealized society. Even the supposedly Nature-friendly electric vehicles like Tesla are no good. So these vehicles not only lead to pollution but also to needless accidents, crime ( including "anti-social behavior" ), chaos and general disharmony. Ask me, who comes from India where all these factors are in extreme.

The simple solution for intra-city travel would be therefore to ban all privately-owned personal transports and replace them with 40-passenger buses and three-passenger taxis ( with sufficient luggage space ) that have been more in number and efficiency. Though privately-owned service vehicles ( food and grocery delivery vans, construction trucks etc ) can be owned. This idea itself is a fine idea and it has precedent too. The planned city called NEOM in Saudia will have no private cars and the planned district of Shezhen city in China called Net City will also have no private cars.

So what could be the form of the intra-city buses and taxis ? There is a good new development in vehicles called Cyclorotors which are aircraft that in modern form have electric motors attached to four hubs at the sides and the hubs have movable blades and when the hubs are spun the blades I think create a force that lift the aircraft and move it forward. The below vid was made known to me credit @Hamartia Antidote. It is a test vehicle from the Austrian company CycloTech and of course I think in full form the hubs will be enclosed with a mesh for safety :

Such a vehicle could not only be used for buses and taxis but also for police vehicles, ambulances and food and groceries delivery vehicles. The fuel for these vehicles can remain petrol until the time that new longlife battery technologies like the NDB or research into how the electric eel produces up to 860 volts with a power to stun or kill even kill crocodiles, do not come about. At 05:21 mins in the below vid there is a visualization of a Russian project called CycloCar which can carry six people or 600 kgs of cargo and has a range of 500 kms with a top speed of 250 kmph :

I think ground vehicles for most things are passe and the future is of the Cyclorotor.

---

@fitpOsitive @Bilal9 @Indos @ps3linux others.

Any service provider that can provide service based on "any time, any where, with speed and security" can make your proposition come true. The main reason why people buy cars is the ease of mobility. Secondly, govt allow it bc car making companies pay a lot of tax and employment.

 

[Nyayadhikari]

What about "door to door" connectivity?

 

[Paitoo]

I am all for public transport and use it as often as I can. I even use trains instead of flights or my own car for longer journeys. I am middle aged and find it frustrating when I see people in their 20s shying away from the 'inconvenience' of public transport. We have become too soft. Big SUVs, small egos. Outwardly Royal Enfield machismo and in real only bravado.

Having said that, I don't think aerial vehicles are the solution. We Indians cause enough accidents and near misses with grounded vehicles, I shudder to think what will happen if people can move in any direction they want. They will go berserk. The solution is to improve walkability, last mile connectivity and safety. Many people do not take public transport because of encroached or non existent walking space. The footpaths in my city have missing slabs where one can fall into a sewer, or are usurped by street food vendors who litter the space. In the past in many social media groups I have advocated taking public transport and I always get ridiculed or trolled by people who give the above reasons.

For last mile connectivity also the situation is terrible. Auto rickshaw drivers form gangs at hotspots and it is impossible to get them to ride at the legal fare. It is shameful that the government doesn't curb this. We don't need hitech solutions. We just need the government to do what it is supposed to do in the first place - well lit spaces, remove encroachments and repair walkways, curb rickshaw mafia. This will not make people move to public transport en-masse, but will definitely help. For the softies who insist on taking their 7 seater SUV out for 500 metres to get a haircut, the only solution is heavy taxation.

 

[Skull and Bones]

I don't have a car here in US, and mostly use public transport and uber, and end up saving money for investing. But car is nessicity for my mom back in India, as the public transport infrastructure in our town is not good at all. And given the pandemic, I'll be worried if she takes public transport in India.

 

[-=virus=-]

Could think about it if India ever reaches Singapore or Scandinavian countries level of good public transport but for now it's an absolute necessity. I do use the metro and uber sometimes in Delhi or Mumbai when convenient but generally like to hire my own wheels. Car's at the service place for now and it's really annoying being without one..

 

[jamahir]

Any service provider that can provide service based on "any time, any where, with speed and security" can make your proposition come true. The main reason why people buy cars is the ease of mobility. Secondly, govt allow it bc car making companies pay a lot of tax and employment.

Well, one other reason that the middle class and aspiring middle class buys a car is because of its perceived upscale social status in "neo-rich" societies like India and China, and I believe in Pakistan because of non-existence or unsafe public transport ( buses or autorickshaws ).

What about "door to door" connectivity?

Sure, the cyclorotor taxis will be able to go door-to-door.

Big SUVs, small egos. Outwardly Royal Enfield machismo and in real only bravado.

Good observation. I never understand why would someone who thinks of himself as a sensible person would buy that huge and noisy Royal Enfield. And there is also the trend of gym-going females riding these bikes to I suppose feel "liberated".

Having said that, I don't think aerial vehicles are the solution. We Indians cause enough accidents and near misses with grounded vehicles, I shudder to think what will happen if people can move in any direction they want. They will go berserk.

You have a good point so that is why I suggest buses and taxis that are piloted by trained people just like now public bus drivers are now. They would need just more training. And of course there would be rules governing flying lanes for safety and privacy. And computerized vehicle-to-vehicle communication and control which will further enable safety.

The solution is to improve walkability, last mile connectivity and safety. Many people do not take public transport because of encroached or non existent walking space. The footpaths in my city have missing slabs where one can fall into a sewer, or are usurped by street food vendors who litter the space.

Yes, I see your points and I will say that for things like going for the haircut or for small shopping or to the locally-based doctor it is best to walk and of course it is the duty of the government to enable a safe and harmonious walk.

For last mile connectivity also the situation is terrible. Auto rickshaw drivers form gangs at hotspots and it is impossible to get them to ride at the legal fare. It is shameful that the government doesn't curb this. We don't need hitech solutions. We just need the government to do what it is supposed to do in the first place - well lit spaces, remove encroachments and repair walkways, curb rickshaw mafia.

Agreed.

I don't have a car here in US, and mostly use public transport and uber, and end up saving money for investing.

Nice !

But car is nessicity for my mom back in India, as the public transport infrastructure in our town is not good at all.

Understandable, so we in India and similar societies like Pakistan can start with a clean slate. In fact for all societies.

And given the pandemic, I'll be worried if she takes public transport in India.

I understand your concern but if the public transport service providers follow proper COVID protocol, as they should be followed in any public space like a shop which has a foot-operated disinfectant dispenser and has social distancing, do you think there should be a problem ?

 

[jamahir]

Could think about it if India ever reaches Singapore or Scandinavian countries level of good public transport but for now it's an absolute necessity. I do use the metro and uber sometimes in Delhi or Mumbai when convenient but generally like to hire my own wheels.

1. Why are Singapore and Scandinavia the ideals of public transport and what I am suggesting is not ?

2. "Hire my own wheels" : I am also talking about taxis.

 

[Paitoo]

There is some misplaced notion that using Uber is better than driving your own car. The only difference it makes is that there is need for one less parking spot. Otherwise the pollution is exactly the same and the space occupied on our congested roads is exactly the same. People need to get out of their comfort zones. Some just don't make an effort at all. No one is asking them to use public transport every day. Start with one day a week. Even people who have point to point connectivity do not do it. Sad.

Covid is a recent problem. Before Covid its not as if the upper middle class were thronging to public transport.

 

[jamahir]

There is some misplaced notion that using Uber is better than driving your own car. The only difference it makes is that there is need for one less parking spot. Otherwise the pollution is exactly the same and the space occupied on our congested roads is exactly the same.

In defence of Uber, Ola, Careem etc :

1. If one doesn't have a parking space inside the house ( like the typical Indian house ) and has to park the car outside think of the number of cars ( and two-wheelers ) parked in the street by all the people living there. Think of the chaos in the street and multiply it for all of the country especially for an already chaotic country like India.

2. Many people in India taking out their cars and two-wheelers take them out not because they have some justifiable work but just because they can take out the vehicle. This is especially true of the louts - noisily and dangerously zooming about on their two-wheelers with three people on it, without helmets, being a danger to themselves and to others. I sometimes feel to put a bullet through their criminal heads. Add to to the cars being used in this sort of criminal behavior by the louts. Think of the other criminal acts they do at the point of their destination and their source and their general non-positive-contribution to society.

3. A few thousands of Ubers are a lot better than millions of personal cars and two-wheelers.

People need to get out of their comfort zones. Some just don't make an effort at all. No one is asking them to use public transport every day. Start with one day a week. Even people who have point to point connectivity do not do it. Sad.

Agreed.

 

[Paitoo]

3. A few thousands of Ubers are a lot better than millions of personal cars and two-wheelers.

My point is different. I am not against Uber etc. I just want to dispel the notion that some people have about taking a cab as having contributed to reducing traffic. One cab per person does not equal less traffic. Its just someone else's car and you are not driving. You are still adding one car to the road and causing the same pollution. Uber, Ola etc have freed people from the clutches of louts (mainly rickshaw drivers) and provided a (mostly) safe alternative. There can be no denying this.

 

[jamahir]

My point is different. I am not against Uber etc. I just want to dispel the notion that some people have about taking a cab as having contributed to reducing traffic. One cab per person does not equal less traffic. Its just someone else's car and you are not driving. You are still adding one car to the road and causing the same pollution.

No, it is a hugely less pollution. Please read my point# 2 above.

Uber, Ola etc have freed people from the clutches of louts (mainly rickshaw drivers) and provided a (mostly) safe alternative. There can be no denying this.

Well, crimes like rape or attempted rape still do happen through some drivers of Ola, Uber etc but yes lout behavior by rickshaw drivers is an issue but I must say that generally my rickshaw rides have been polite and I do engage in talk with the driver.

 

[Paitoo]

We also need some innovation in construction. Metro construction outside of Delhi has always been a joke in terms of timelines and coverage. I still see same techniques being used for decades. I don't know how China does it and I am no construction engineer, so I don't want to provide armchair commentary, but surely there must be a better way of doing things. We can't have piddly 5 km lines taking 5+ years to finish.

 

[-=virus=-]

1. Why are Singapore and Scandinavia the ideals of public transport and what I am suggesting is not ?

2. "Hire my own wheels" : I am also talking about taxis.

I didn't entirely disagree with you there. Point was that those countries have a much superior public transport system to what we have here in India for now, to put in very mildly Some of my friends are in those places and earning good but don't want to buy cars, in Singapore, particularly, they disincentivize cars by imposing a parking tax which is almost equal to the cost of the car itself if I'm not wrong.

It must be said, though, that the Delhi metro etc have been brilliant and a real boon to people. I know a lot of people who own vehicles but prefer to take those to work because it helps avoid the horrible peak hour jams and saves them the hassle of looking for parking in many cases, good for environmental reasons too. Winter's coming, Delhi will choke again :/

Uber and taxis are fine but sometimes you just want your own transport and do as you please, go where you wish etc.. I personally don't like being dependent on someone else for anything if I can do it myself.

 

[The Accountant]

I have often made this topic in posts so I thought why not create a thread for this for discussion and readership.

Privately-owned personal transport vehicles ( cars and two-wheelers ) are I believe the biggest form of pollution in the world, directly through their usage and secondarily through their production. This is multiplied by the many manufacturers producing multiple models per year. The hundreds of millions of middle class people in the world, especially in relatively newly "liberalized" and Capitalist India and China, are exhorted through media campaigns and word-of-mouth to buy the latest vehicle model. To purchase these vehicles the middle class and others indulge in a lifestyle that is polluting and not in harmony with Nature and idealized society. Even the supposedly Nature-friendly electric vehicles like Tesla are no good. So these vehicles not only lead to pollution but also to needless accidents, crime ( including "anti-social behavior" ), chaos and general disharmony. Ask me, who comes from India where all these factors are in extreme.

The simple solution for intra-city travel would be therefore to ban all privately-owned personal transports and replace them with 40-passenger buses and six-passenger taxis ( with sufficient luggage space ) that have been more in number and efficiency. Though privately-owned service vehicles ( food and grocery delivery vans, construction trucks etc ) can be owned. This idea itself is a fine idea and it has precedent too. The planned city called NEOM in Saudia will have no private cars and the planned district of Shezhen city in China called Net City will also have no private cars.

So what could be the form of the intra-city buses and taxis ? There is a good new development in vehicles called Cyclorotors which are aircraft that in modern form have electric motors attached to four hubs at the sides and the hubs have movable blades and when the hubs are spun the blades I think create a force that lift the aircraft and move it forward. The below vid was made known to me credit @Hamartia Antidote. It is a test vehicle from the Austrian company CycloTech and of course I think in full form the hubs will be enclosed with a mesh for safety :

Such a vehicle could not only be used for buses and taxis but also for police vehicles, ambulances and food and groceries delivery vehicles. The fuel for these vehicles can remain petrol which can power the electric motors until the time that new longlife battery technologies like the NDB or research into how the electric eel produces up to 860 volts with a power to stun or even kill crocodiles, do not come about. At 05:21 mins in the below vid there is a visualization of a Russian project called CycloCar which can carry six people or 600 kgs of cargo and has a range of 500 kms with a top speed of 250 kmph :

I think ground vehicles for most things are passe and the future is of the Cyclorotor. And there's no point holding two-yearly climate change conferences if the biggest source of pollution - privately-owned personal transport - is not banned.

---

@fitpOsitive @Bilal9 @Indos @ps3linux others.

No way