cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/319198
I got a lot of push-back on a comment I made here about how bigger trucks/suvs are the primary cause the increasing pedestrian death-rate in America so apparently more people need to see this video.
I’m a huge NotJustBikes fan, but I hate how this, of all his videos, is the one that gets the traction in forums.
I mean, sure, big trucks suck – but it’s not as if small ones don’t! The fundamental cause of all these deaths (and a bunch of other big problems, to boot) is cities being designed for automobiles to the exclusion of everything else, and quibbling about the size of them is nothing but a distraction.
Presumably by “small trucks” you mean ones that are restricted by the same regulations as cars are. Even if we had very good infrastructure, large trucks would still be less safe than ones with safe bumpers and clearances and less mass. I don’t think someone can say one way or the other that large trucks would not still be a problem. So it’s perfectly reasonable for people to be concerned about large trucks, both in the fantasy world that you’d like this discussion to be taking place in, and here in the real world.
What I mean is that anybody quibbling about the difference in safety between one multi-thousand-pound vehicle and another is missing the forest for the trees. Every car, whether it’s a Geo Metro or a dually F-350, takes up the same amount of space: one parking space and one whole lane of traffic each. That means every automobile contributes equally to sprawl, and that even the tiniest, most efficient hatchback is, in the grand scheme of things, only a small margin better than a coal-rolling douche-mobile!
The real solution to traffic, to pollution, to housing costs, to obesity, and to a bunch of other crises including but not limited to the increase in mental health problems due to the lack of “third places” – the only real solution to any of these things – is to get people out of the damn cars entirely. Not to get them into smaller cars; to get them out of all cars and into transit, biking and/or walking instead.
If you want to complain about something being too big, the thing to complain about is minimum lot size for single-family zoned homes, not trucks!
Frankly, I think the real reason big truck hate is popular is mainly so that people can scapegoat trucks as being the problem in order to try to absolve themselves of blame for their car-dependent habits. The whole notion is a harmful distraction.
When’s the last time you saw a “small” truck? Even the “small” ones like Rangers and Mavericks outsize the F150 from a couple decades ago.
I continue to maintain that trucks should be restricted to industrial and agricultural use and/or be prohibitively expensive for noncommercial purposes.
If it is significantly more dangerous to other people, put stricter licensing requirements on it! It is totally logical to require a commercial license for trucks that are disproportionately killing people in the hands of typical drivers.
First of all, as I ranted about at length in another reply, worrying about truck size is missing the point.
That said…
The new Ranger is indeed the same size as an old F150, but the Maverick isn’t outrageous. I own an old 1996 Ranger, and the Maverick I parked next to one day was basically the same size (more cab and less bed length, but the overall dimensions were the same).
In principle I’m not a huge fan of the types of restrictions you propose, but the least we could do is repeal the Chicken Tax and abolish having separate, more lenient CAFE standards for light trucks.
It’s a good intro into more anti car and urbanism forums. This video is catchy. Why not? If somebody liked it they can watch more of his content.