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by djrobstep 871 days ago
One thing I did not appreciate until I got an electric cargo bike is how they are faster than cars for typical city journeys if there’s any level of traffic.

I live in a city of 5 million people and if I needed to get across town in a hurry I’d take my cargo bike, not my car.

My cargo bike usually beats the google maps car estimate by about 20%.
1 comments
genman 871 days ago
How is the air quality in your city? Can you use some road network outside of the main traffic lanes?
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Lio 871 days ago
I've seen this study before that claims that air pollution is worse for car drivers[1][2] than cyclists and pedestrians. If that's true a cargo bike is going to be a win over driving if air quality is an issue for you.

Take with a pinch of salt though, I can also see counter studies[3].

1. https://www.slideshare.net/JamesTate22/exposure-to-the-traff...

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...

3. https://www.eauc.org.uk/cyclists_on_busy_roads_

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GuB-42 871 days ago
In older cars without cabin filters, it makes sense that air pollution is at least as bad inside the car as it is outside, it is, after all, the same air.

But modern cars usually have cabin filters, which, if good enough, well maintained, and leak-free, should result in a significant improvement. I know Tesla made it a marketing point for the Model X, but I believe all cars built in the last decade or two have at least some kind of filtration.

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genman 871 days ago
On top of this you can close the circulation in cars. Something I often do and something that is not possible when cycling. I can choose routes that don't pass major city intersections but if that is not the case then it is clear disadvantage for cyclists. Electric cars will tremendously improve the situation and make more routes viable for cyclists.
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djrobstep 871 days ago
Melbourne has a lot of cars but the air quality is nonetheless good by world standards.

The roads are car-dominated and not very friendly to bike on. There are a few bike trails which are great, but they aren't well-connected to each other, so aren't useful unless there happens to be one exactly where you want to go.

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