Comment on another sad e-scooter death

sjpt

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East London senior coroner Graeme Irvine said fatalities from e-scooter crashes more than doubled after police changed policy.
 

guerney

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There are fewer of them now due to the weather, but the ones I do see are bold as brass, out wobbling about in rush hour traffic. And I see the same few regulars, who are obviously using them for work travel - I don't think they're being confiscated anymore in my area either.

At least this one last week wasn't dressed like a rinja

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matthewslack

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guerney

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I imagine she got sucked in by turbulence running along the big flat surface of the bus, because it was closer than 1.5m. E-scooters have a high center of gravity, easy to topple.

Guards/skirts proud of the wheels, which raise and lower to suit road surfaces, remaining 1cm or so above, under all buses, cars, lorries etc. would prevent skulls being crushed while also reducing drag.

Tories have been in power for over a decade, they could have nipped e-scooter sales in the bud. This accident is the twerp Schapps' fault - promising e-scooterists jam tomorrow which might never arrive. :mad:
 

saneagle

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Were there fewer deaths involving cars when people switched from using cars to scooters - not only accidents, but people getting diseases from pollution too, and how many fewer heart attacks from stress of driving a car?
 

flecc

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Were there fewer deaths involving cars when people switched from using cars to scooters - not only accidents, but people getting diseases from pollution too, and how many fewer heart attacks from stress of driving a car?
Nice try! ;)

But e-cars are the answer, not only no exhaust pollution but the least stressful of any driving I've ever done in my 70 years behind the wheel. Daft though it might sound, I actually enjoy traffic and lots of pedestrians wandering aimlessly in the road, stopping for the latter and waving them across with a smile which I often get returned.

With effectively one pedal control, more precise than any ic vehicle, plus lightning acceleration to recover speed, it's all a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me and all the others I give way to.

Fortunately I'm in an area where e-cars are far more frequent now, spreading the message and the resulting common courtesy, improving road safety.
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soundwave

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id drive that to tesco like a class b rally car id need a new set of tyres every day :p
 

snafu

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Nice try! ;)

But e-cars are the answer, not only no exhaust pollution but the least stressful of any driving I've ever done in my 70 years behind the wheel. Daft though it might sound, I actually enjoy traffic and lots of pedestrians wandering aimlessly in the road, stopping for the latter and waving them across with a smile which I often get returned.

With effectively one pedal control, more precise than any ic vehicle, plus lightning acceleration to recover speed, it's all a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me and all the others I give way to.

Fortunately I'm in an area where e-cars are far more frequent now, spreading the message and the resulting common courtesy, improving road safety.
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Posted more as a topic of discussion than anything else (I question a lot of the points made).

https://freewestmedia.com/2022/12/21/study-diesel-vehicles-are-more-climate-friendly-than-electric-cars-2/

But as with everything, even following the green agenda means you are at the mercy of the politics of the climate crusaders. If I'm honest I have no idea if buying an EV really helps the planet and being "A poor pensioner" (Ok not really, but I'm certainly not rich by any stretch of the imagination). I'm not in a position to make the change at the moment unless someone can convince me an infrastructure which even comes close to the support of ICE cars exists across the whole of the UK. My view comes back to other posts regarding government control of our freedom. I think the ICE supporters will make the governments master plan very difficult to achieve.

TTFN
John.
 

danielrlee

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Posted more as a topic of discussion than anything else (I question a lot of the points made).

https://freewestmedia.com/2022/12/21/study-diesel-vehicles-are-more-climate-friendly-than-electric-cars-2/

But as with everything, even following the green agenda means you are at the mercy of the politics of the climate crusaders. If I'm honest I have no idea if buying an EV really helps the planet and being "A poor pensioner" (Ok not really, but I'm certainly not rich by any stretch of the imagination). I'm not in a position to make the change at the moment unless someone can convince me an infrastructure which even comes close to the support of ICE cars exists across the whole of the UK. My view comes back to other posts regarding government control of our freedom. I think the ICE supporters will make the governments master plan very difficult to achieve.

TTFN
John.
Hmmm, Free West Media. A right-wing biased, opaquely funded, pro-conspiracy 'news' agency, with a history of making (provenly) false claims.

I would select my sources more wisely...
 
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snafu

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I would select my sources more wisely...
I disagree.
As I said, I question a lot of the points made which is a result of reading the article. Some of it makes sense other parts are dubious to say the least but I've read all sorts of rubbish in mainstream media and legitimate advertising (By EV manufacturers for example) as well.

TTFN
John.
 

flecc

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If I'm honest I have no idea if buying an EV really helps the planet.
It does and has been clearly shown to be so. In the earlier days of EVs, opponents in the motor industry and elsewhere made lots of false claims against them with spurious statistics, all completely disproved since.

However, personally I'm not concerned if it does or not. The first thing that concerns me is that it definitely helps locally, in a city with some of the worst pollution in all of Europe and where even the death of a young child has now been attributed to traffic caused exhaust pollution. The second thing is that e-cars are so vastly superior to ic cars in so many ways not understood by those who have no real experience of them.

I'm not in a position to make the change at the moment unless someone can convince me an infrastructure which even comes close to the support of ICE cars exists across the whole of the UK.
That's an easy one. First regarding charging. There are some 6000 IC fuel stations in the uk now, well down from what it was at one time. There are now over 36,000 public charging points with over 61,000 connectors in over 21,900 locations, huge coverage.

Admittedfly not evenly distributed, but that isn't as important as the doubters imagine. What matters is that almost all who have bought an e-car have a home charging point, that being well over half a million points additional to the public ones. That means that unlike ic cars, they can always leave home with a full"tank". Since most of them sold today have a circa 200 mile range and the average UK driver covers just 7300 miles a year, 20 miles a day, they don't need lots of public points in their area. And on the rare occasion when they do need one on a long trip, theres bound to be many ultra fast ones well within 200 miles of them!!

Second regarding maintenance. The e-side needs no attention, being like the old milk floats unfailingly reliable year after year. The rest is just an ordinary car, except not wearing the brakes out since the motor does most of the braking by regeneration. So any competent existing dealer is all one needs.

My view comes back to other posts regarding government control of our freedom. I think the ICE supporters will make the governments master plan very difficult to achieve.
No chance for them to succeed. As we get ever closer to the 2050 deadline to achieve carbon neutral the government will act ever more decisively against the existing ic cars with compulsory scrappage schemes and other restraints.

The other problem will be that as IC cars wear out or crash so disappearing over a 20 year average life period, their fuel stations will too. The sheer inconvenience of that will make ic car use increasingly annoying, back to the earliest days of the ic car when their drivers went to the chemist to buy a can of petrol!!
,
 

saneagle

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I would select my sources more wisely...
I think you need to read your own words. Do you know anything about Mediabiasfactcheck, wholly owned by David van Zand? Both Politfact and this article says:
  • Van Zandt Cites No Scientific Qualifications At All
  • Van Zandt Was Exposed By WND As A Fraud And A Liar
  • Van Zandt’s Website (MBFC) Does Not Apply Any Objective Scientific Method
  • MBFC Relies On Unverifiable Subjectivity (Own Bias) To Make Judgments
‘Media Bias/Fact Check’ Site Served With Cease And Desist (climatechangedispatch.com)

So we have Politifact saying Mediabiasfact check are not to be trusted and Mediabiasfactcheck saying Politifact can't be trusted. Who are you going to believe? What about the Facebook fact checkers or the twitter Trust Council that were taking money from the FBI and Biden administration? Even Larry Sanger, one of the founders of Wikipedia has expressed his despair in how biased it's become and said that it's "broken beyond repair".
 
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danielrlee

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I think you need to read your own words. Do you know anything about Mediabiasfactcheck, wholly owned by David van Zand? Both Politfact and this article says:
  • Van Zandt Cites No Scientific Qualifications At All
  • Van Zandt Was Exposed By WND As A Fraud And A Liar
  • Van Zandt’s Website (MBFC) Does Not Apply Any Objective Scientific Method
  • MBFC Relies On Unverifiable Subjectivity (Own Bias) To Make Judgments
‘Media Bias/Fact Check’ Site Served With Cease And Desist (climatechangedispatch.com)

So we have Politifact saying Mediabiasfact check are not to be trusted and Mediabiasfactcheck saying Politifact can't be trusted. Who are you going to believe? What about the Facebook fact checkers or the twitter Trust Council that were taking money from the FBI and Biden administration? Even Larry Sanger, one of the founders of Wikipedia has expressed his despair in how biased it's become and said that it's "broken beyond repair".
Oh, the irony! Your sources are WorldNetDaily; a far-right 'fake news' website, and Climate Change Dispatch; a right-wing 'climate change denial' forum.

I actually rate Politifact quite highly, but note you didn't include any sources from them to back up your claim. I couldn't personally find any valid sources. Do you know of any?
 
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snafu

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That's an easy one. First regarding charging. There are some 6000 IC fuel stations in the uk now, well down from what it was at one time. There are now over 36,000 public charging points with over 61,000 connectors in over 21,900 locations, huge coverage.

Admittedfly not evenly distributed, but that isn't as important as the doubters imagine. What matters is that almost all who have bought an e-car have a home charging point, that being well over half a million points additional to the public ones. That means that unlike ic cars, they can always leave home with a full"tank". Since most of them sold today have a circa 200 mile range and the average UK driver covers just 7300 miles a year, 20 miles a day, they don't need lots of public points in their area. And on the rare occasion when they do need one on a long trip, theres bound to be many ultra fast ones well within 200 miles of them!!
Yes agree, although the reduction in the number of IC fuel stations is largely offset by the capacity of modern stations. Most have at least a dozen pumps and throughput of traffic means little time is taken visiting. I've seen more "queueing" for EV charge points than for IC pumps. This will of course reverse over time as IC pumps reduce and EV points increase but currently it's a very unbalanced system.

However, although I can't argue with your mention that almost all EV owners have a home charging point I think that is largely due to the type of people who can afford to buy an EV currently. My local area has a high proportion of back to back terrace housing with no offroad parking at all and onstreet parking is a lottery as well. Cables running across footpaths is for another day..

Second regarding maintenance. The e-side needs no attention, being like the old milk floats unfailingly reliable year after year. The rest is just an ordinary car, except not wearing the brakes out since the motor does most of the braking by regeneration. So any competent existing dealer is all one needs.
Agreed, but why do EV's cost so much to buy? Taking the component count of an EV it's a lot less than a typical IC vehicle, there is a lot less labour involved in production. There is more electronics for sure but look at the price of computers and white goods compared to 30 years ago. They are a lot cheaper now in real terms.

No chance for them to succeed. As we get ever closer to the 2050 deadline to achieve carbon neutral the government will act ever more decisively against the existing ic cars with compulsory scrappage schemes and other restraints.
Possibly yes. But recent history illustrates government policies, promises and pledges would probably be catagorised in the fiction section of a local library and unless the Green Party win the next election I don't see the plan surviving in its current form once it becomes a personal issue for voters. What about the farming, fishing industries?

Agreed this is still a fledgling industry and EV ownership will hopefully look a lot different to today as the technology develops but I still see EV ownership having more "cons" than "Pros" at the moment and the speed of development might make current EV's look as bad as IC in 20 years time.

TTFN
John.
 

snafu

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Dec 15, 2020
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Oh, the irony! Your sources are WorldNetDaily; a far-right 'fake news' website, and Climate Change Dispatch; a right-wing 'climate change denial' forum.
So we all agree then, don't trust anything written by anyone. Always make your own decisions based on extensive research.

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they really aren't out to get you. :eek: :D

TTFN
John.
 

sjpt

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the average UK driver covers just 7300 miles a year, 20 miles a day, ,
The average miles a day is not that useful, as it's probably highly skewed. Ours certainly is; with a mode and a median of 0, 3000 miles a year with more than half of those on trips over 200 miles.

We recently replaced our 2007 Roomster diesel with a low mileage 2012 petrol automatic one. We made the change because my wife had hurt her left knee; otherwise we would have gone on using it till it died. I'd have loved to replace it with an electric car, but the economics and even the environmental hit just didn't tie up.
 

sjpt

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My local area has a high proportion of back to back terrace housing with no offroad parking at all and onstreet parking is a lottery as well. Cables running across footpaths is for another day.
Reminds me of our Durham terrace. Not back to back but front door straight onto the pavement., and parking was easier then so we could usually park directly outside. The upstairs bay window pushed out over the pavements, so we could drop a cable into the car (for warming it up and clearing the snow) without cluttering the pavement.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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This will of course reverse over time as IC pumps reduce and EV points increase but currently it's a very unbalanced system.
True, but the improvement rate as I've shown is far more rapid than generally appreciated.

My local area has a high proportion of back to back terrace housing with no offroad parking at all and onstreet parking is a lottery as well. Cables running across footpaths is for another day..
Agreed, though again more is being done about this than is widely known. Such things as many thousands of lamp post chargers already in place and existing local fuel stations converting to mass e-car charging stations. Small in scale at present, but then so is e-car ownership. However your problem will never be solved by existing methods, there is another e-car solution but that is a whole new story.

Agreed, but why do EV's cost so much to buy?
Political choice by both the industry and government as I've already posted. The motor industry is fed up with making no profit and even losses on most of their production and rightly don't see themselves as charities. So now it's stuff the small cheap cars for the masses, just work less making the profitable ones.

Just think about the fact that GM, once the world's largest car manufacturer, has completely left Europe, a huge part of the world car market, because it's mainly a small car market with zero profit. And Ford, who have the biggest selling car in that market in the Fiesta, have said they are seriously considering that too. Cars from now on will increasing become only luxury items beyond the reach of many, so our roads in 2060 could look very much like they looked in 1960.

And no, the Orientals and others will not be coming to our rescue with cheap proper e-cars. All they are offering is quadricycles, cheap, slow, short range minimalist electrified shopping trolleys.

Agreed this is still a fledgling industry and EV ownership will hopefully look a lot different to today as the technology develops but I still see EV ownership having more "cons" than "Pros" at the moment and the speed of development might make current EV's look as bad as IC in 20 years time.
Here I dont agree. Electric motors have long been perfected to their limits, and with batteries it took 200 years to get from lead acid to lithium, with some duds on the way like NiCad and NiMh. There isn't the slightest indication this will improve. Hydrogen fuel cells have a future, but it is a very expensive technology further limiting ownership and mass production of hydrogen is full of difficulties.

The e-cars of 2040 will be just like today's ones, but owned by far fewer.
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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The average miles a day is not that useful, as it's probably highly skewed. Ours certainly is; with a mode and a median of 0, 3000 miles a year with more than half of those on trips over 200 miles.
So what? In 200 miles you will have passed a number of rapid and ultra rapid charge points. Once again an invalid objection.

We recently replaced our 2007 Roomster diesel with a low mileage 2012 petrol automatic one. We made the change because my wife had hurt her left knee; otherwise we would have gone on using it till it died. I'd have loved to replace it with an electric car, but the economics and even the environmental hit just didn't tie up.
Agreed and precisely my argument. As the ic car irreplaceably bites the dust, you'll either be without a car or somehow affording an e-car.
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