• SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.caOP
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    1 year ago

    They’re both problems. If you watch the video you’ll see that most delivery vans aren’t even half full. They account for less than 3% of vehicles in cities but a third of bicycle deaths. Due to the fourth power law, heavier vehicles do the vast majority of road damage, which we all pay for.

    I wouldn’t have expected this community to be pro delivery vans instead of cargo bikes. Europe is switching to ebikes because of good regulation and laws. We should also demand better in places like Canada and the US.

      • SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.caOP
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        1 year ago

        No one is proposing “full on replacing them”. We can, however, replace a whole LOT of them like they’re starting to do in Europe.

        Sheesh, is this really the micromobility community? This is such a modest proposal. “Well, we still need cars sometimes!” is exactly the sort of nonsense straw-person you hear all the time that prevents any iota of change from the car dependent status quo.

        • zoe @infosec.pub
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          1 year ago

          like they’re starting to do in Europe.

          so u dont live in europe and presume that u live in the states, so it shouldn’t be strange to u that there are parts in the us where the weather isn’t forgiving and temps could reach aggressive levels. u can’t surmount that heat/and humidity with cargo ebikes/bikes.

          • SkepticalButOpenMinded@lemmy.caOP
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            1 year ago

            Of course there are exceptions where biking won’t work, but the US is enormous. There are plenty of places where the weather is much more forgiving than almost any part of Europe. The US is not some “exceptional” geography. Delivery bikes are spreading in boiling hot Spain and freezing cold Finland. These excuses are mindboggling.

            its better for a shipping company to run a van that does efficient same day deliveries than fragmenting shipping using utility vehicles that wouldnt handle shipping surges in certain periods, which also not sustainable from a business stand-point, and probably adds more to emissions.

            Add more emissions? More bike emissions? Even in Europe, it was financially better for delivery companies to use vans until they changed the policies and incentives. I have no idea why people like you are against this. Yes, this won’t work in some places, but there are many places where it will work. We just need to demand better laws and incentives.

            • zoe @infosec.pub
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              1 year ago

              Delivery bikes are spreading in boiling hot Spain and freezing cold Finland. These excuses are mindboggling.

              i am not denying the existence of those, but i hope they involve some form of climate controlled cabin

              Even in Europe, it was financially better for delivery companies to use vans until they changed the policies and incentives

              if it is fiancially viable, then all the better (hopefully also with less emissions when using ebikes)