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Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

thedrive.com

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Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The positive externalities are even more enormous What do cars specifically positively provide? NOT including the positives that exists due to constructing infrastructure around that mode of transportation (artificial issues).

A huge boost to economic productivity and growth by increasing the flexibility of land usage, for example.

Cars are terrible for land usage. Car infrastructure takes up much more space than alternative transit infrastructure options.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#382
post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One application of (EV) cars is the robotaxi. Once this solution reaches critical mass, car ownership as we see it today will drop off. If I can send my car out to be a robotaxi while I'm at work and/or :^) asleep, then how much do I care that MY specific vehicle return to bring ME home, when I could just use any other robotaxi available? So then I don't own a car at all and ownership elsewhere falls and the number o…

Robotaxis don't have anything to do with and certainly aren't dependent upon EVs. I highly doubt robotaxis ever make it. And at that point, why not invest in other infrastructure. It's pointless to have big vehicles carrying one or two people.

Once cars start being designed for robotaxi use, it makes economic sense to be much smaller: most rides are one-passenger. (Though who knows what crazy outcomes you end up with under the regulators.)

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars are selling, despite their high economic price, because they're incredibly useful . Make competing modes of transit at least one of more useful at no more cost or no less utility but at a lower cost and people will switch incredibly quickly. That's a tall order, because the modern automobile is a wonder of transport speed, comfort, and convenience.

I'd only add "...because they're incredibly useful, AND government policy has consistently favoured such a mode of transport over all other alternatives". The amount spent by governments on maintaining road infrastructure dwarfs all other transport spending, the amount of land dedicated to parking and driving space is mindboggling, and of course the amount spent on ensuring the global oil industry has been able to re…

You aren't wrong that government support of automotive transport is immense. But that government support comes from decades of popular electoral support for those policies from all across of the political spectrum. Why? Because cars give people more convenient and independent transportation then just about any other mode. And people push their politicians and representatives to support that kind of transportation.

If you want to undo the car centric culture and economy, you cannot just ignore the broad base of popular support it enjoys.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#384
post #7

It’s great to bring this problem up. But the focus on EVs is a distraction. > EVs tend to shed around 20 percent more from their tires due to their higher weight and high torque compared to traditional internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. It’s covered in this panel discussion on Fully Charged: https://youtu.be/LeHakmL6eEc?si=ebBAn8RSDhmmLfHI Fleet operators don’t see any significant difference in tire wear. E…

> the focus on EVs is a distraction

Tire particles have been a problem since forever but recently its a big concern now that EVs are rapidly dethroning combustion cars. I'm suspicious

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#385
post #166

Has anyone here ever lived near a freeway or even moderately busy road? I made the mistake of renting next to the freeway. Noise was perfectly tolerable, but I could not use my back porch, because after just a few weeks, everything had a fine coating of black dust. I could not keep my windows open in the summer. I was certainly breathing this vile shit the entire time I lived there. This doesn't surprise me in the le…

I recently had the pleasure to vacation on a car-free island (few thousand inhabitants including tourists).

Only motorized vehicles allowed are a handfull small electric transporters for logistics (and construction vehicles, ambulance).

Turns out the space gained from lack of car infrastructure increases space efficiency by a lot (not that that wasn't obvious from theory).

It really was bliss and it makes me despise the status quo so much more fervently. Paradise is so close and yet so far away...

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most popular F150s are significantly less gas guzzling than my 2005 sedan that I replaced with an F150. Not to mention that my F150 is more capable in winter conditions (major importance in Michigan) and more capable for the DIY stuff I do (I actually do regularly get lumber, plywood, drywall and other things that only fit in the 8ft bed that I actually bought). All while using less gas... Efficiency has gone up…

A new F150 is getting 19 city / 24 highway, while ten year old Prius are getting more than double that at 45mpg. Every single trip you make in an F150 without lumber is more than double the gas guzzling than current state of the art. New Prius are 57mpg and AWD. And I've fit tons of plywood, furniture, and even a 50 gal. water heater in my Prius.

And for things that don't fit in a Prius, you can get / borrow / rent a small trailer.

I get 40 to 50 MPG from my Diesel Chevette, 25 to 30 MPG towing, and it can tow more than it weighs.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#387
post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Empirically, myself and my sister have witnessed shoplifters personally in recent months. I know this is anecdotal data, but anecdotes (especially personal ones) are enough for myself. At least in my area, it seems like shoplifters _are_ on the rise. I don't need to prove it to other people on the internet. My own eyes with my own life is enough proof for me. If that's not enough for you, whatever. Seeing news re…

Don't you think police would be jumping at the chance to show hard stats that your claims are true if they measured them? Why would it be so hard to find those things if police could use it to justify their policies and crackdowns?

I don't need to look up the stats. I already believe in them.

And I frankly don't care to convince you of the fact. I'm not sure if anything you'd say could beat out my personal methodology on this particular question. I actually wave / say hi / talk to the grocery store clerks (and their managers) on a regular basis, so I've got people I trust who can tell me about rising (or not) shoplifting. I really don't need the internet to tell me this.

I literally can just ask the manager (and I recognize him by face since we talk so often) at the store next time I see them. I'm not sure if you'd care on their response or not, but... I'd trust him more than anything you'd say or research. No offense to you personally, but I have my methods to gathering information that I trust more.

There's much, much simpler, and direct, ways of getting information than surfing online for a database... or engaging on internet debates over.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#388
post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to have different issues than the person I'm replying to. Maybe your situation is different. If you nearest grocery store is 45 minutes away by walking maybe your situation requires a different solution than someone who has expressed interest to walk but stated that they might buy too many groceries to walk that home.

Nope. A car is convenient (the comment I was replying too) in both situations! Weird, eh?

I find it convenient to walk to my grocery store. It's inconvenient to have too many groceries regardless of my conveyance home.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#389
post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It isn't contrarianism to point out that a solution is not the solution everyone thinks it is. Literally nobody thinks that EV's will reduce microplastics. What are you even talking about? EV's have the potential to dramatically reduce our reliance on gasoline. Current EV technology is far from perfect, but do you think people will just stop having personal transportation? Do you think it's better to keep using gas…

> Literally nobody thinks that EV's will reduce microplastics. What are you even talking about? Not that, for starters. Is there data that proves inconclusively that electric vehicles AND the new infrastructure and mining and every other systematic thing that comes along with them and doesn't currently exist is actually (not just hopes and dreams) less impactful on the environment? Because as far as I can tell, your…

It is a fact that EVs are better for the environment and will be even more better once certain infrastructure is built out. There's no reason to shit on an improvement just because it's not a cure. The data is a quick search away if you're actually interested.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars are selling, despite their high economic price, because they're incredibly useful . Make competing modes of transit at least one of more useful at no more cost or no less utility but at a lower cost and people will switch incredibly quickly. That's a tall order, because the modern automobile is a wonder of transport speed, comfort, and convenience.

I'd only add "...because they're incredibly useful, AND government policy has consistently favoured such a mode of transport over all other alternatives". The amount spent by governments on maintaining road infrastructure dwarfs all other transport spending, the amount of land dedicated to parking and driving space is mindboggling, and of course the amount spent on ensuring the global oil industry has been able to re…

Cars are only useful because America foolishly built and rebuilt around cars, instead of humans. There were even places that functioned perfectly fine with transit and walking, destroyed and replaced with infrastructure for cars.

Undoing our mistake is always an option.

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