Transportation

[Uncle Al]

Some of our grandparents traveled this way on a daily basis,
shopping, to & from work and even to the baseball games.

I hope you enjoy this

The Shore Line Trolley Museum

Uncle Al

[Sarongman]

Thanks for that Al. We lost trams in N.S.W. in the late 50s, then the tram depot (set on a peninsula near Sydney's Circular Quay) was demolished to make way for an internationally recognised "icon", namely the Sydney Opera House. Brisbane lost trams a few years later, but the Gold Coast is re-embracing the concept under the name of "urban light rail".

[john62]

And Melbourne never lost it's trams or what is known as "the hook turn" in the CBD.

John

[Big and Bashful]

And at the other end of the scale, a modern tram in Sheffield, UK. This vid doesn't really give you much of an impression of the gradients these things can hammer up. Sheffield has some unfeasibly steep hills with trams happily charging up them. They do seem to find stopping on the way down more challenging, (Gravity can be a pig at times!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CpuVu2QXFw

(edited to add the link I forgot!)

[Sarongman]

When trams were in their heyday, this was the middle class hoon mobile. A year earlier than my late lamented tourer, and only two wheel brakes, but I want it. Did it occur to anyone that I was born at least 50 years too late---if not 100! Restoration is nearly complete bar the upholstery and hood/side curtains.

1927 Essex eoadster.jpg

[Big and Bashful]

Nice!

[skirted_in_SF]

And Melbourne never lost it's trams or what is known as "the hook turn" in the CBD.

John

You lost at least a couple of your Melbourne trams - they're running on the streets of San Francisco now.
http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/

[john62]

To be honest for the driver of a car they are a complete nuisance and slow peak hour traffic to a crawl. Therefore you are welcome to them.

John

[Grok]

Recently came across a magazine article when I went to a dental appointment. Regarding the use of step-through electric scooters for short range commuting in cities. Basically, the designs have a platform on two wheels that you stand on. The Lime-S design is an example.

Figures I have seen:

1. Range per charge of 20-60 kilometers.

2. Top speed of 24 KPH.


It has been mentioned that a standing posture is easier for women in skirts and dresses.

[Big and Bashful]

Well from my observations earlier in the year in Gibraltar, I saw so many women and girls wearing nice billowy skirts o0f all sorts of lengths while riding around on scooters, so sitting and riding didn't seem to be a problem for them. I suppose the front "shield" that scooters have must alter the airflow to stop the skirts blowing up or back. I saw people also riding these little electric scooter things, don't remember anyone in a loose skirt on one to see how it behaved. With the unbelievably mad traffic in Gib. rather than thinking about how comfortable it would be in the hot weather to be riding around in a loose skirt, as someone who has bounced off the road a couple of times (not counting bicycle accidents as an oversized kiddiewinkle) I thought more about the pain that results from gravel rash or just impact damage between unprotected human and road, even at lowish speed.
Last time I decided to collide with a planet during a ride, even though I was wearing proper biking leathers with armoured reinforcement on back and elbows, the knees of the leathers survived the accident, but my knee was raw and bleeding inside the trouser leg, you could see the mark of the lining as it had pressed through my skin. If I hadn't been wearing protective clothing things would have been much more painful than just a couple of ribs and a clavicle. Biking or scooting in skirts? not for me!

[denimini]

You lost at least a couple of your Melbourne trams - they're running on the streets of San Francisco now.
http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/

Good that some were saved. A lot ended up rotting away on bush blocks.

When trams were in their heyday, this was the middle class hoon mobile. A year earlier than my late lamented tourer, and only two wheel brakes, but I want it. Did it occur to anyone that I was born at least 50 years too late---if not 100! Restoration is nearly complete bar the upholstery and hood/side curtains.1927 Essex eoadster.jpg

I miss the simplicity of that era.

[Ray]

To be honest for the driver of a car they are a complete nuisance and slow peak hour traffic to a crawl. Therefore you are welcome to them.

John

One idea would be to remove or curtail car use in towns, where you would commonly come across trams. The former are highly polluting, with nitrous oxide and particulates a real problem in many cities. I love cars dearly, but the city is not a place for them.