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Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

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Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#491

Post by bmitc »

abecedarius wrote: post #430
bmitc wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt that's the case. And how would that work? If we look at the economics of Uber and Uber Eats, we see that they have shifted to ride sharing and also delivery sharing. In that, it makes more sense to bundle up multiple people and deliveries into one. Doesn't that sound a whole lot like buses?

Uber has drivers. There's probably some reason to customize car design for taxis, I'm not sure, but that's a modest difference relative to no driver and the greater expected scale of supplanting most human driving in time. https://www.templetons.com/brad/robocars/design-change.html is very old and there are newer discussions, but I'm too lazy to find them for you. Also michaelmrose's answer.

Whether Uber has drivers or had automated drivers doesn't really matter. I think they show that there isn't much business in point-to-point "automated" car rides.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#492

Post by HWR_14 »

lobocinza wrote: post #474
HWR_14 wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EVs don't have to be heavier. If people mostly drove a low range EV it could use significantly smaller batteries.

If a low range EV is enough 100% just buy a bike.

Most trips most people take with a car right now (EV or ICE) are close enough to bike. They are unpopular. There are a lot of disadvantages to explain why.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#494

Post by adrianN »

sokoloff wrote: post #335
bmitc wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This sentiment is just contrarianism, I think. I really don't think it is. We're thrusting ourselves into just new problems. Yes, we move away from old problems that gas-powered cars have, but we move into new problems. For one, EVs perpetuate the idea of the car, which is perhaps the most dangerous part. Then, there's all sorts of new things like building out the infrastructure required for EVs and mining the new…

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.

If you spend a hundred years optimizing your infrastructure for one mode of transport while disregarding all others, it's not surprising that it's the most convenient, or indeed the only possible, mode of transport for a majority of people.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#495

Post by dilyevsky »

sagarm wrote: post #490
dilyevsky wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Caltrain is diesel yes. They are replacing most with electric locomotives any year now

Electric trains should start passenger service next year (originally this year). https://www.caltrain.com/projects/electrification

Originally it was 2019 and maybe even earlier

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#496

Post by creer »

kylebenzle wrote: post #398
crazygringo wrote: post #371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the solution is natural rubber, which costs slight more than synthetic rubber but lasts longer. So its better for consumers, cheaper all around, and 1,000x better for the environment Is it? I'm Googling but can't find any evidence for that. Natural rubber tires still produce tons of dust, I can't find any reference to it being less harmful in our lungs, and even natural tire rubber seems to biodegrade on the order…

One is a closed system, the other is dumping NEW carbon into the air. The simple accounting is: Plant a seed that grows to a dry weight of 1 lb. That is basically 1 lb of carbon. Turn that into 0.5 lb of rubber. Grind that rubber back down to carbon and we are back to where we started minus the waste.

I thought you were trying to address dust?

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#497

Post by adrianN »

bmitc wrote: post #334
oatmeal1 wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally agreed, but the noise from cars is mostly friction and turbulence (and honking/sirens). Switching to electric won't solve that.

> the noise from cars is mostly friction and turbulence Agreed. I can't even hear the engine in my car on the highway over tire and wind noise.

EVs are significantly less noisy on residential streets though. You know, where people live.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#498

Post by whiddershins »

ruined wrote: post #478
avalys wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're basically saying that you want to force everyone to live in a city - a super dense developed area where all your daily needs are within walking distance. Not everyone wants to live in a city!

it is possible to live in the country, with all of your daily needs within walking distance. what will become impossible is the current fad of living in the "country" with a city lifestyle.

What?

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#499

Post by adrianN »

jacobolus wrote: post #290
valianteffort wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you live but everything is too far apart in American suburbs. How you would fix that without tearing it all down? And it's totally impractical for transporting a family around. Road tripping. Visiting far away family. Day at the lake or beach. Going camping. How do you convince people to give all of that up and just be content with whatever is 15min away.

Residents of American suburbs should have to pay for their full costs (infrastructure and maintenance, environmental, healthcare, services, ...), and if many people can't afford it, we should do a universal cash subsidy to every resident at the federal level to make up the difference so the transition is not so damaging, then let people decide if they really want to spend that whole amount on paying the actual costs…

A first step might be allowing people to build something other than single family homes in locations where there is demand for housing.

Re: Tire dust makes up the majority of ocean microplastics

#500

Post by adrianN »

nicoburns wrote: post #415
valianteffort wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you live but everything is too far apart in American suburbs. How you would fix that without tearing it all down? And it's totally impractical for transporting a family around. Road tripping. Visiting far away family. Day at the lake or beach. Going camping. How do you convince people to give all of that up and just be content with whatever is 15min away.

You don’t have to tear it all down. Just tear some of it down. For example, you could tear down a single house and replace it with a shop, and suddenly a whole neighbourhood would have a shop within walking distance.

Suburbia probably doesn't have enough density that the number of people who choose to walk to the shop over driving twenty minutes to the huge shop could keep the small shop alive.
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