Klaus
Senior Member
- Location
- High Wycombe
This morning on BBC Breakfast - the hunt is on for a suitable noise to "build" into E-Cars - otherwise they are noiseless and a serious danger to pedestrians (cyclists were not mentioned ....)
Electric Cars ....
- Thread starter Klaus
- Start date
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As Easy As Riding A Bike
Well-Known Member
Funny that. I can think of another noiseless vehicle that travels around towns and cities. What's it called again? It's got two wheels, you pedal it... Nah.
Anyway, it's probably not important as a transport solution.
Let's concentrate on putting bleepy sounds on 'silent' electric cars.
Anyway, it's probably not important as a transport solution.
Let's concentrate on putting bleepy sounds on 'silent' electric cars.
Not sure what to make of this. I was once quite scared by a g-whiz just behind me that I didn't realise was there, but it was my own damn fault for not looking - could as easily have been a cyclist or something. As cyclists we're all accustomed to pedestrians wandering out without looking, but there are also ipeds who wander out without looking *or* listening and whose headphones mask the noise of traffic anyway. Perhaps it would be simpler (in built-up areas, at least) if there is a ped/vehicle collision, to rule that as the vehicle brings the greater risk to the encounter, it is thus it's the vehicle operator's responsibility not to hit anyone.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I'M A CAR. ..."
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
From personal experience - near me there are 2 Prius' & often they'll pull away without the engine starting. It's sometimes quite startling how people not hearing the car will just walk in front of it as driver is pulling away. They are the only 2 cars this seems to happen to, even though there are some cars which have barely perceptible engine noise at low rpm.
OP
OP
Klaus
Senior Member
- Location
- High Wycombe
Perhaps the next initiative will be to ban all pedestrians and cyclists from the roads - avoids nasty accidents ....
There seems to be an assumption implicit in this that the driver should expect pedestrians to give priority to him when he wants to pull away. Do the pedestrians suddenly and without warning start moving or change direction, or are they just walking from A to B normally on a journey that happens to involve use of the carriageway?
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
[QUOTE 1398135"]
I think that pedestrians often rely on their hearing too much.
[/quote]
Yes, they do, but some people have to - one of the pedestrians on the BBC report was blind and she and her guide dog rely on being able to hear vehicle noise. (I don't know how they cope with cyclists!)
I think that pedestrians often rely on their hearing too much.
[/quote]
Yes, they do, but some people have to - one of the pedestrians on the BBC report was blind and she and her guide dog rely on being able to hear vehicle noise. (I don't know how they cope with cyclists!)
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Dan B, For most people a car with no sound isn't moving... they don't even look to see if the car IS moving. So you end up with a case that pedestrians walk in front of a moving car with less than 2m clearance without looking. It IS entirely unreasonable for a motorist to have to deal with that situation!
Funny, because as a pedestrian I often have people walk in front of me with less than 2m clearance and without looking, and I find that entirely reasonable: we're all going at walking pace, after all. So, why do motorists "just pulling away" get special treatment?
I acknowledge that the situation that I am imagining from your description may not be the situation you are intending to describe and I don't especially wish to start an argument. For example, if the driver is rolling forwards at 10mph+ then ordinary politeness says not to obstruct him unnecessarily. But from the sounds of your description it's an area with lots of pedestrians and all other things being equal I would suggest that the onus is just as much on the driver to look out for them as vice versa - especially if it's actually his change of speed/direction into their path that's bringing them into the same place at the same time.
I acknowledge that the situation that I am imagining from your description may not be the situation you are intending to describe and I don't especially wish to start an argument. For example, if the driver is rolling forwards at 10mph+ then ordinary politeness says not to obstruct him unnecessarily. But from the sounds of your description it's an area with lots of pedestrians and all other things being equal I would suggest that the onus is just as much on the driver to look out for them as vice versa - especially if it's actually his change of speed/direction into their path that's bringing them into the same place at the same time.
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
A car even at walking pace takes far more space to stop than a pedestrian, you've also not got the ability to very quickly change your trajectory - watch people walking across a crowded space, you'll see people taking steps of around 45 degrees to the side with normality & ease, you simply can't do this in a car. Also a car is substantially wider than a person so the time you spend directly in front of the car is much higher. Add to this basic dynamic advantage of a pedestrian to a car that the transition from the throttle to the brakes takes thinking time & doing time when pulling away (& thus distance) compared to if they were simply crawling along at walking pace. We also need to add in that the driver should not have full concentration towards the front of the vehicle (remember the motorist should be giving way to any vehicles which are already traveling down the carriageway.
