Thesis thoughts

[zimzum42]

It worked in the olden days because there was no better alternative. You would have to come up with something seriously good to tempt people out of cars...

 

[marinyork]

In theory, yes, it could work.

The problem I suspect, would be the addition of actual people into the system.

I think the size of such a town would be very limited, based on the average person's idea of how far one can travel under one's own power. WE know you can ride two or three or four miles, but a lot of people regard it as impossible.

The other thing that I wonder about is goods transport, Yes, you can distribute by human power up to a point (we have a great courier service doing that in York), but when you are talking about whole pallets to shops, etc it gets harder. It can be done, but it means a town standing alone within a system, if you see what I mean. The hubs would have to do a lot of unpacking and repacking etc...

It's only the same principle. I've worked in stores and it's actually very easy moving very heavy pallets around. It's just that (a) most people are bone idle lazy ( you need the right equipment and the right sort of surfaces (c) we have a system in place already. The other point is that there's been a movement towards pre-packed stuff which tends to make things larger and go in superlarge lorries etc that just drop them off. There's no reason why most things can't be packed smaller at all.

I don't have many ideas but it's entirely feasible as an idea with willpower to have a town anything upto 100,000 running on such a scheme. Anyway good look with your DPhil/PhD/MPhil Night Train, I'm sure it'll be a lot of work.

 

[Night Train]

It worked in the olden days because there was no better alternative. You would have to come up with something seriously good to tempt people out of cars...

I'm assuming that most of the people on this forum have been tempted out of their cars at least part of the time.

I'm not thinking of a system that is 'better' then motor transport in that sense but better in the long term community view.

Most of the cars we have now will drive at well over 100 mph and some are able to drive at over 200 mph. I wouldn't say that a 300 mph car would be better for day to day use but a 70 mph car that cost nothing to run would be better, or a 30 mph that you could pick up and put in the cupboard or a 20 mph truck that weighs 35kg and carries 200kg both costing nothing to run.

I am thinking energy reduction by slowing things down a bit but also stil retaining a quality of life that is sustainable in the long term. A modern way of living in a simpler time using technology where it matters to make things lighter and easier to move then to make more power to mover heaver stuff that doesn't need to be so heavy.

It is a mind shift to accept that someone could cycle to work faster then driving a big car or move a load of goods for less expense and do it on the roads without breathing in various noxious gasses from the vehicle in front. Or maybe I am preaching to the converted?

 

[zimzum42]

I get what you're saying and agree it would be great. But in the OP you mention towns with NO motorized transport. Tell me I can't see outside the box, but I just can't see that ever happening....

 

[Night Train]

I was thinking along all posibilities and the first sentence was what I thought about last night, with no motorised transport, and the rest is how it is developing. I would allow for motorised transport but it may be non emission powered from maybe wind and solar but not biofuel but emergency services would be exempt.

I would agree that it is highly unlikely to happen to, say, Milton Keynes for instance. But I also don't believe that we, as an Earthly society and a species, will ever decide to work for a better and more equitable future where we manage our resources and energy requirements until it is far too late to be meaningful.
It might work for a small community like Findhorn or the village od Poundbury but maybe it is best for a town in a developing country where cars haven't fully arrived yet.

I am also thinking out loud and so appreciate all the input from all angles.

 

[Will1985]

The Swiss have also had the imagination and foresight to put their bus stations (or bus stops, even in very small places) next door to each other, and co-ordinate the timetables of the two forms of transport. I agree that required a post-grad with triple honours in Transport Logistics, alledgely not available in this country.

Furthermore, if they add boats as a form of transport (as in Interlaken) the timetable is extrapolated to include all three forms of transport. Who knew that was possible?

I was hugely impressed with the Swiss transportation system last year. Took the train from Geneva to Interlaken and then waited for a few minutes before switching trains to Lauterbrunnen where a bus was waiting to drive to Stechelberg (James Bond/OHMSS) and then straight up in the cable car. They have certainly got it right.

It would be nice if one of the proposed (eco)towns in this country could be integrated if they ever get off the ground.