The Miniature Microcars of Amsterdam
Why Hacker News recommends it
Linked in self-driving and car-dependence threads as an example of small vehicles that help disabled and elderly people without full-size cars.
What it is
Not Just Bikes looks at the tiny microcars such as the Canta seen around Amsterdam. It discusses how they serve people with mobility issues, can use bike paths under certain rules, and where they fit in a 21st century city.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2021 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec rglullis · 2022-05 · on “An autonomous car in SF blocked a fire truck responding to an emergency”
Please, please watch the videos I linked. Especially the Not Just Bikes channel. For example, this one [LINK] can quickly explain why a transport system flooded with autonomous cars and poor public transit would make the overall system worse for everyone . There is also another video that talks about microcars for people with disability and reduced mobility: [this video] No rational person can watch those videos and conclude that the best course of action to solve urban transportation requires self-driving cars. Getting FSD cars is just a rich nerd fetish which will not solve anything and likely contribute to make suburban sprawl worse.
Recommends ryukafalz · 2021-11 · on “The good things in the current age in tech”
Not Just Bikes has a nice video on the Canta and things like it if you'd like to see them in action: [this video]
Cites bobthepanda · 2021-01 · on “Smart spaces will fine petrol car owners illegally parking in electric bays”
Don’t EVs take longer to charge than a gas fill-up? Presumably that would be better for a model where you want people to stick around and buy things, not worse. At least in the Netherlands, there are basically mini golf carts that are legally bikes for disabled people. [this video]
Cites fabianhjr · 2021-09 · on “Chery QQ Ice Cream goes on sale in China – a modern electric car for $4,600”
Those "mini cars" (Cantas) can only use bikepaths as long as they are registered as a mobility scooter. There are other non-mobility scooter micro cars mentioned and there is animosity towards those and a possible ban outright on their usage of bike paths. ( [this video] )
Cites dont__panic · 2022-02 · on “The End of Uber with Cory Doctorow”
I think a lot of people are dismissing some of your very valid points here, cherry-picking things that annoy them. Tough to avoid with a comment of this size, of course, but I do think it's dismissing how much of a role public transit plays in this picture. It sounds like you're saying that public transit has actually gotten worse in recent years in Oslo ("There are museums, cultural events, restaurants, and people to visit that I simply cannot do anymore in any practical sense. I miss that.")... but for the select group of people who CANNOT travel the city using bikes or public transit. Does Oslo really not have exceptions to the "zero car movement" for inviduals with disabilities like your
Cites dangus · 2023-04 · on “Street Photography of Japan's Aging Population”
It's time to stop making excuses. I'm coming at you with receipts. This is interesting that you say that you can't bike in the winter, Finnish people have no trouble biking in the winter: [LINK] It also seems odd that it's no problem to plow and salt a gigantic interstate highway system in the USA but somehow it's impossible to clear some small bike lanes. Before you say "only fit people can cycle," Netherlands has microcars that the elderly and disabled can use on bike lanes: [this video] It's weird that you say that installing and operating mass transportation is "completely infeasible" when that's the status quo in Japan. For example, this very rural line with a single rail car has a more freq
Cites Mawr · 2023-10 · on “Cruise pauses driverless operations across all cities”
> Public transit is no good. It's easy and convenient: • [LINK] • [LINK] > I don’t want to walk to a station and then share the space with other people. I don’t want to lug grocery bags around. Alright, use a bicycle then. I hear ebikes are pretty good these days. Or use a micro car if you must: [this video] . > I want to make pit stops. A bicycle is better than a car for this. > I want to go off road. Bicycle again, but if you really wanna use a car the few times a year you may wanna go off road, go ahead. > Want to live in the suburbs or semi rural areas so I can have a lot of land. By all means, go ahead. Just as long as you pay in full for all the negative externalities you inflict on everyon
Cites SouthGoblin · 2024-06 · on “Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco”
> They suffered and died. They were (mostly) taken care of by extended multi-generational households. They obviously died and/or suffered to the extent that medical and QoL technology was insufficient. The whole status quo of pensioners migrating to Florida-style retirement community necropolis with a F-150 and a rubber stamped driver license is a modern US-centric phenomenon. You are naming disparate & absurd things as the reason that European like walkable communities are bad for old people, like the difficulties of 1930's cities (or perhaps pre-industrial, you aren't very clear), the difference in landmass between the US and Europe (?) and the fact that there is a small range of disabilit