I was just riffing and I liked skateboards for transportation as much as recreation (fitness !?), but I dont know who would use this item. As an automobile replacement, the first level to aproach would be the suburban "station car" (typically a compact). Thats the car that gets dad from his house to the rr station to get to work in town. Does it compete with peds on the sidewalk or compete with the cars, trucks and busses in the street at 17 mph. More likely it will be a bridge between your Chevy Surburban and say, the entrance to the mall and back. What about urban use ? Street or sidewalk ? Ok, maybe bike lanes. Do you see bike messengers using it instead of 10 speeds, mountain bikes or mopeds with a full bag of mail. I saw a brief vid clip on cbs news last night (no safty helmet?). They really do zip though. Shriners could turn in the go-carts and use these things for fig. 8's in parades. Better get a crash fez!
I believe that there are many cases where the sedan is used to haul nothing more than one ass and a wallet from the outskirts of town to the center. Why not build a "ginger lane"? No, I don't think a mountain biker would turn in his bicycle for such a device. And bike messengers will no doubt scoff. I probably wouldn't use one in this city either, I almost always choose to walk. I doubt if this thing would get anyone to sell their car, but that's not the intent of the Ginger folks. It would be used in place of the car for those stupid errands in a city like Los Angeles. Where the distances to the post office or deli are a half an hour by foot and the side walks are empty. In a city like Portland or Seattle there are such steep hills that riding a bicycle is serious work, more than most people are capable of. They don't ride their bicycles now, they drive.
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- bill 12-04-2001 3:09 pm
I believe that there are many cases where the sedan is used to haul nothing more than one ass and a wallet from the outskirts of town to the center. Why not build a "ginger lane"? No, I don't think a mountain biker would turn in his bicycle for such a device. And bike messengers will no doubt scoff. I probably wouldn't use one in this city either, I almost always choose to walk. I doubt if this thing would get anyone to sell their car, but that's not the intent of the Ginger folks. It would be used in place of the car for those stupid errands in a city like Los Angeles. Where the distances to the post office or deli are a half an hour by foot and the side walks are empty. In a city like Portland or Seattle there are such steep hills that riding a bicycle is serious work, more than most people are capable of. They don't ride their bicycles now, they drive.
- steve 12-04-2001 5:59 pm [2 comments]