3/16: Small car or toy car?

Undertoad · 03-16-2002, 12:30 PM

The caption:

"Japanese toymaker Takara Co Ltd President Keita Sato takes a seat in the company's electric car "2010" sportcar at an unveiling in Tokyo January 22, 2002. Takara is committed to stay focussing on toys, but it will not be committed to stay focussing on toys for just children, Sato said February 25, 2002. Takara grabbed headlines last month by unveiling the real, toy-like single-seater electric car that reaches speeds of up to 60 km per hour."

Again how different the Japanese culture is from the US culture. What if Mattel came out with a car, for adults, and it looked like this. Regardless of how desirable it was, regardless of how cheap it was, regardless of whether it was a good idea, we would probably mock it and its owners shamelessly, dont you think?

This is the perfect vehicle to head to your local convenience store, and what if it cost under a grand?

Transportation is on my brain these days because, in our area, they are proposing a light rail system (I think it's light rail this week) to connect Philly to Reading, a town about 40 miles away. They feel it will carry 50,000 passengers per day average. The project is believed to cost $1.8B and that's before passenger #1 steps onboard.

$36,000 per passenger just to get it built. I say give all 50,000 these cars and even if they cost $5000, that's an immense savings. And because the cars are small, they'll fit 4-abreast on the two-land highway and solve the traffic problems.

OK, maybe not.

elSicomoro · 03-16-2002, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad
This is the perfect vehicle to head to your local convenience store, and what if it cost under a grand?

It looks like a glorified golf cart...but if it'll go 36mph...

Quote:

Transportation is on my brain these days because, in our area, they are proposing a light rail system (I think it's light rail this week) to connect Philly to Reading, a town about 40 miles away. They feel it will carry 50,000 passengers per day average. The project is believed to cost $1.8B and that's before passenger #1 steps onboard.

Are they rehashing that again? I thought it was all but dead...

Undertoad · 03-16-2002, 01:28 PM

Yup, now projected to be done by the end of this decade.

elSicomoro · 03-16-2002, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad
Yup, now projected to be done by the end of this decade.

Yeah, right there with the construction at I-95 and the PA TPK.

03-16-2002, 03:04 PM

And the Big Dig...

That Guy · 03-16-2002, 06:44 PM

Light rail was shot down last election here in Austin. All the No Railers decided it would be better to build more roads to ease the congestion. I think cutting down on the number of autos will ease the congestion, but we're Texans, and we don't like to do anything unless we can bring a truck.
I admit, it's quite expensive, but I don't want us to be like Houston in 5 years. Luckily, the economy is taking care of quite a few Dell-exec SUVs out there.

warch · 03-17-2002, 04:03 PM

One terrific lightrail bonus in Mpls: I was able to quarry enough dug up limestone to build a long rock wall in my garden last summer. Those of us treking to the rock pile began to bond....The huge mountain was flattened in about 5 weeks. I'm hoping to find more free construction castoffs this year.

MaggieL · 03-17-2002, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore

Yeah, right there with the construction at I-95 and the PA TPK.

You don't seem to understand how Pennsylvania politics works. It will be *years* before any construction on that project happens...by then, PennDOT will have finished the 202 and I-95 projects and moved on to other inconveniances.

We're still in the logrolling stage of that project. It's not dead, thank goodness. This region desparately needs mass transit that does something besides go to and from downtown Philadelphia, following commuting paths that have long since been killed off by the Philly city wage tax. .

There was another proposal to add a commuter line running parallel to the turnpike from King of Prussia out to the Bensalem area...I haven't heard anything about that one recently.

elSicomoro · 03-17-2002, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MaggieL
You don't seem to understand how Pennsylvania politics works. It will be *years* before any construction on that project happens...by then, PennDOT will have finished the 202 and I-95 projects and moved on to other inconveniances.

The amazing thing about moving from state to state is that you notice how similar the politics work in each state, although this is probably the most confounding state I've dealt with.

The residents out there are snarling over the interchange at I-95 right now. There will be environmental objections, etc. And it should be finished in, oh, 2035. After all, it took 36 years to build the Blue Route.

By that time, Rho and I will hopefully be retired, living far far away from here.

Pripp · 03-18-2002, 01:40 AM

Maybe your pic shows a toy car in Japan, but here in Europe, we have such small cars as normal cars

Pripp

MaggieL · 03-18-2002, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
After all, it took 36 years to build the Blue Route.

Not quite. Most of that time was spent arguing over which municipality was going to lose the tax base respresented by the land that would underlay the highway. Nearest the Main Line was the worst.
Interestingly enough, the reason the Main Line is so densely settled with high-income folks (and the tax base so high) is that the area was *created* by the presence of another mass transit corridor: the "Main Line" of the Pennsylvania Railroad. All the towns along the Main Line exists *because* of the railroad, which is still in service today. Unfortunately the traffic flows of the 1880s run perpendicular to today's flows in that area...

elSicomoro · 03-18-2002, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MaggieL
Not quite. Most of that time was spent arguing over which municipality was going to lose the tax base respresented by the land that would underlay the highway. Nearest the Main Line was the worst.

I'm not sure on which part you are disagreeing with me. The circumstances as to the delays in building the Blue Route and the I-95 interchange may certainly be different. But the Blue Route was proposed in 1955 and fully completed in late 1991.

Nic Name · 04-16-2002, 09:25 AM

The Volkswagen 1-litre car, a two-seater,
has a maximum speed of 117 km/h gets over
320 kilometres per gallon of diesel.
Photos: Heribert Proepper/AP

Undertoad · 04-16-2002, 09:37 AM

Looks like the Very Worst place to be in an accident.

Slight · 04-16-2002, 11:12 PM

I have always dreamed of a car like the VW 1 L. Actually I want one where you lie down face forward. I agree that with current automobiles this would not be safe. don't forget Urkel's Car:

03-18-2002, 01:40 AM	#10
Pripp Recruit or Something Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4	Looks like a toy version of the Smart Crossblade... Maybe your pic shows a toy car in Japan, but here in Europe, we have such small cars as normal cars Pripp

04-16-2002, 09:25 AM	#13
Nic Name retired Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,930	VW ... Very Wee The Volkswagen 1-litre car, a two-seater, has a maximum speed of 117 km/h gets over 320 kilometres per gallon of diesel. Photos: Heribert Proepper/AP

03-16-2002, 12:30 PM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	3/16: Small car or toy car? The caption: "Japanese toymaker Takara Co Ltd President Keita Sato takes a seat in the company's electric car "2010" sportcar at an unveiling in Tokyo January 22, 2002. Takara is committed to stay focussing on toys, but it will not be committed to stay focussing on toys for just children, Sato said February 25, 2002. Takara grabbed headlines last month by unveiling the real, toy-like single-seater electric car that reaches speeds of up to 60 km per hour." Again how different the Japanese culture is from the US culture. What if Mattel came out with a car, for adults, and it looked like this. Regardless of how desirable it was, regardless of how cheap it was, regardless of whether it was a good idea, we would probably mock it and its owners shamelessly, dont you think? This is the perfect vehicle to head to your local convenience store, and what if it cost under a grand? Transportation is on my brain these days because, in our area, they are proposing a light rail system (I think it's light rail this week) to connect Philly to Reading, a town about 40 miles away. They feel it will carry 50,000 passengers per day average. The project is believed to cost $1.8B and that's before passenger #1 steps onboard. $36,000 per passenger just to get it built. I say give all 50,000 these cars and even if they cost $5000, that's an immense savings. And because the cars are small, they'll fit 4-abreast on the two-land highway and solve the traffic problems. OK, maybe not.

03-16-2002, 01:28 PM	#3
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Yup, now projected to be done by the end of this decade.

03-16-2002, 03:04 PM	#5
dave Guest Posts: n/a	And the Big Dig...

03-16-2002, 06:44 PM	#6
That Guy He who reads, sometimes writes. Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: at the keyboard Posts: 791	Light rail was shot down last election here in Austin. All the No Railers decided it would be better to build more roads to ease the congestion. I think cutting down on the number of autos will ease the congestion, but we're Texans, and we don't like to do anything unless we can bring a truck. I admit, it's quite expensive, but I don't want us to be like Houston in 5 years. Luckily, the economy is taking care of quite a few Dell-exec SUVs out there.

03-17-2002, 04:03 PM	#7
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	One terrific lightrail bonus in Mpls: I was able to quarry enough dug up limestone to build a long rock wall in my garden last summer. Those of us treking to the rock pile began to bond....The huge mountain was flattened in about 5 weeks. I'm hoping to find more free construction castoffs this year.

04-16-2002, 09:37 AM	#14
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Looks like the Very Worst place to be in an accident.

04-16-2002, 11:12 PM	#15
Slight Semi-Evil Genius Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Boulder CO Posts: 195	I have always dreamed of a car like the VW 1 L. Actually I want one where you lie down face forward. I agree that with current automobiles this would not be safe. don't forget Urkel's Car:

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