Cars in cambridge

[jack]

Based sort of on real events.

Me: You know, I really should get a car. It'd be so useful. It'd be quicker to get to places, I can give people lifts, go out and not drink, join rush hour properly,...
Naath: [interrupts] Where are the others? We've been waiting outside twenty minutes.
Me: Uh?
Naath: Oh sorry, what were you saying?
Me: Twenty minutes? Um, nevermind.

(OK, there would be many good things. Shopping. Lifts. Keeping dry. Long journeys. But is a lot of faff for something I'd use at most once a week and probably less.)

However, today, I definitely did meet my match in Douglas's low, two seater, open top, sportything[1]. We left games evening together and I kept up all the way onto arbury road[2], when he overtook and roared away on the long straight. (Apologies if I got in your way on the narrow bit.)

[1] It is very comfortable.

[2] Without even any dodgy road-cyclepath-road switching. Note for other cyclists: do not *literally* swap your road hat for a cycle path hat or vice versa to avoid traffic lights, even if you consider it a wise thing to do notionally. This tends to impair your ability to have children because, viz, respectively, (a) you look really stupid and (b) you will knee yourself in Mr and Mr gangly-googly falling off your bike.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

The solution to lack of transportness that I am currently considering is getting a motor cycle. It's soooo much cheaper to run.. :)

Not that it'd help with moving or giving more than one person a lift.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Twas me

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

No, I've definitely thought about that too. (Or even a scooter :)) I probably do mostly want to give one person a lift. There are many advantages:

Cheaper and smaller than a car
Cool and badass
Distinctive, not following a bandwagon
Enough to carry shopping (though not bookcases)
Able to overtake between lanes if you feel suicidal :)
More efficient, not lugging around lots of spare chassis

On the other hand:

I don't really like leather
I hear it may be easier to mash yourself than on car or bike

[numberland.livejournal.com]

The statistics show that it is significantly more dangerous the cars however this is much reduced by (a) getting a non-powerful one (I'm looking at a 125cc atm) (b) wearing full leathers and helmets. Each of these about halve the risk of serious injury. The first probably because there isn't the temptation to go too fast, this may be because people who buy at low powered one are more likely to be sensible driving it anyway.

I'm highly amused by the idea of you expecting to get a cool and badass image on a SCOOTER!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

The scooter might be a good alternative for cambridge, because it would do everything I can do now, but when there *isn't* traffic I can go at 25mph without exhuasting myself. It wasn't supposed to be included in cool, though amongst my friends there's probably more cache to be had by being insightful and environmental than by going "bvroom" :)

I need to actually look up the stats and haven't. If I wear leathers and everyone else doesn't, or vice versa, obviously they need to be adjusted a lot.

For that matter, I don't know if the danger is inherant, or is because cars tend to run you over. That can also make a difference.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

However, have you read Snow Crash? I'm thinking something like Raven, but a big man balanced on a small bike with a big sword. It has a *sort of* coolness.