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| New UK plan "could spell end of throwaway culture" (BBC News) |
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| Monkeh:
--- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 09:14:28 pm ---In the long run I think people should get used to using their cars less. New housing estates could be built with the car parks in land nearby. No garages, drives and no on street parking permitted. I don't see anything unreasonable about people having to walk the first and last half mile or so of the journey. It would definitely cut obesity rates and increase the health of the population, as well as being good for the environment. --- End quote --- It's half way to freezing out, blowing gusts of 40mph and horizontal rain, and you need to go shopping or you won't have dinner. Yes, let's enjoy a half a mile walk to the car and back. |
| Zero999:
--- Quote from: MK14 on March 14, 2020, 09:43:46 pm ---That sounds like a house that I'd immediately cross off my shortlist, of homes to live in, very quickly. Although when/if self-driving cars, becomes commonplace. I'd just get my car, to pick me up, in the nearest place to where I live. Problem solved. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Do you think everyone would be happy and choose to buy houses from your housing estate ? --- End quote --- I agree, it wouldn't be popular, but often things which are for the general good are unpopular and if planning laws were changed, then you wouldn't have a choice. And self driving cars becoming widely legal is pure fantasy. Even if it becomes technically possible very soon, it doesn't mean it'll happen. Driverless trains have being technically possible for 30 years or so, yet 99% of the UK rail network relies on drivers. Legislation, insurance and what people feel comfortable with are very big obstacles. --- Quote from: Monkeh on March 14, 2020, 09:49:08 pm --- --- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 09:14:28 pm ---In the long run I think people should get used to using their cars less. New housing estates could be built with the car parks in land nearby. No garages, drives and no on street parking permitted. I don't see anything unreasonable about people having to walk the first and last half mile or so of the journey. It would definitely cut obesity rates and increase the health of the population, as well as being good for the environment. --- End quote --- It's half way to freezing out, blowing gusts of 40mph and horizontal rain, and you need to go shopping or you won't have dinner. Yes, let's enjoy a half a mile walk to the car and back. --- End quote --- I wouldn't bother me. I have walked three miles to work in similar weather conditions before. Just wear a nice waterproof jacket and don't be such a wimp! And before people had cars, they had to walk a darn sight further every day to get food. It's what the human body is designed to do. People would be much healthier and even happier, in the long run, if they drove less and walked more. There are still a few car free places around the world and they seem to get along fine. The closest one to us is Sark, which seems like a nice place to live, although I've not been there myself. I don't see why we can't experiment with car free housing estates. They'd certainly be much safer, quieter and greener. However, I do agree with both of your points that what I'm proposing will never happen, because no government would agree to such an unpopular proposal. Indeed lots of the things in this thread regarding reduced consumption and higher prices won't be popular, even though they would be good for the planet. |
| MK14:
--- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 10:43:23 pm ---And self driving cars becoming widely legal is pure fantasy. --- End quote --- When steam trains were first becoming available, some people thought they wouldn't be able to breath. if the train moves quickly. When cars were becoming a possibility on the roads. There was some kind of law, in the UK. Whereby, a man had to walk in front of the car, carrying a red flag. To enforce the 4 MPH speed limit, and warn people, that the car was coming. A long time ago, IBM (if I remember, correctly), said "There would only ever be a need for 4 or 5 computers, in the world". Margaret Thatcher, while she was an MP, a long time ago. Said edit: looked it up, "No woman in my time will be prime minister or foreign secretary - not the top jobs. Anyway, I wouldn't want to be prime minister. You have to give yourself 100% to the job." 1969". She was later to become the UK's first ever, women Prime Minister. I remember, a long time ago. Some people would say, "A computer, will never beat a human world Chess champion". In 1997, the Deep blue computer did just that Against Garry Kasparov. You might be right. But, I won't be surprised, if they don't start appearing on roads, sooner or later. Possibly only on high speed (at first), which exclude most other traffic, such as pedestrians and slower vehicles roads, called Motorways in the UK. (Autobahns/Interstate Highways). |
| bd139:
--- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 10:43:23 pm --- --- Quote from: Monkeh on March 14, 2020, 09:49:08 pm ---It's half way to freezing out, blowing gusts of 40mph and horizontal rain, and you need to go shopping or you won't have dinner. Yes, let's enjoy a half a mile walk to the car and back. --- End quote --- I wouldn't bother me. I have walked three miles to work in similar weather conditions before. Just wear a nice waterproof jacket and don't be such a wimp! --- End quote --- Yes some of us do it for fun. I walked 10 miles last Saturday to buy some socks. |
| Zero999:
--- Quote from: MK14 on March 14, 2020, 11:07:00 pm --- --- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 10:43:23 pm ---And self driving cars becoming widely legal is pure fantasy. --- End quote --- When steam trains were first becoming available, some people thought they wouldn't be able to breath. if the train moves quickly. When cars were becoming a possibility on the roads. There was some kind of law, in the UK. Whereby, a man had to walk in front of the car, carrying a red flag. To enforce the 4 MPH speed limit, and warn people, that the car was coming. A long time ago, IBM (if I remember, correctly), said "There would only ever be a need for 4 or 5 computers, in the world". Margaret Thatcher, while she was an MP, a long time ago. Said edit: looked it up, "No woman in my time will be prime minister or foreign secretary - not the top jobs. Anyway, I wouldn't want to be prime minister. You have to give yourself 100% to the job." 1969". She was later to become the UK's first ever, women Prime Minister. I remember, a long time ago. Some people would say, "A computer, will never beat a human world Chess champion". In 1997, the Deep blue computer did just that Against Garry Kasparov. You might be right. But, I won't be surprised, if they don't start appearing on roads, sooner or later. Possibly only on high speed (at first), which exclude most other traffic, such as pedestrians and slower vehicles roads, called Motorways in the UK. (Autobahns/Interstate Highways). --- End quote --- Yes, you're right. People have made all sorts or incorrect predictions about the future before and have later been proven wrong. Most of the things you've listed above were doubted because people didn't believe they were technically possible or lacked understanding of physics. I don't doubt for a second it's possible for a computer to drive a car much safer and more efficiently than a human. The reason why I'm so cynical about driverless cars is because there are other areas where automation is much simpler, trains for example, yet it hasn't happened for various reasons, which seem irrational. Insurance and litigation are the two things which stand out at the moment. What happens when your driverless car is involved in a fatal accident which is its fault? Who goes to prison? Tesla have only gotten away with it because they say the human driver should pay attention. Of course it might happen, but I'm doubtful it'll be in my lifetime. I wish I was wrong, because I don't like driving and think automation would make the road a safer place. The same way, I really wish they would fully automate the rail network because it would make trains much more reliable and cheaper. --- Quote from: bd139 on March 14, 2020, 11:09:52 pm --- --- Quote from: Zero999 on March 14, 2020, 10:43:23 pm --- --- Quote from: Monkeh on March 14, 2020, 09:49:08 pm ---It's half way to freezing out, blowing gusts of 40mph and horizontal rain, and you need to go shopping or you won't have dinner. Yes, let's enjoy a half a mile walk to the car and back. --- End quote --- I wouldn't bother me. I have walked three miles to work in similar weather conditions before. Just wear a nice waterproof jacket and don't be such a wimp! --- End quote --- Yes some of us do it for fun. I walked 10 miles last Saturday to buy some socks. --- End quote --- I didn't do it for fun. I broke my thumb and had to walk to work every day for most of last year. The doctor told me not to cycle or even drive a car (I don't have one but considered hiring one) until it was properly healed, which never happened. I could have got a taxi but they're extortionate and I'm perfectly capable of walking that distance. |
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