Traffic Solution: Ultra Narrow Vehicles

[greekfire]

I have been preaching the benefits of Ultra Narrow Vehicles (UNVs) for about 5 years now. These vehicles, which are typically no wider than motorcycle handle bars, would instantly help increase our road capacity, ease traffic, increase parking capacity, reduce right-of-way encroachment/expansion, and extend the life of our roads. Another big draw is that people's personal freedoms would still be there. You can come and go as you please, put the A/C on whatever level you like, even have a smoke – things you can't do with public transit.

Think of it this way, on a typical 5 lane freeway one of the lanes (20% of capacity) is for carpooling and the other four lanes (80% of capacity) are for single occupant travelers for the most part. This means that nearly 80% of all traffic is made up of vehicles that have just one person. If some of these people were to travel in a single-person commuter car, it would be like adding another 4 travel lanes without any road widening. To start, CalTrans would simply paint a dashed strip down the middle of existing travel lanes…that’s all. This would save taxpayers countless dollars associated with engineering design, administrative, and construction costs.[img_assist|nid=3905|title=|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=466|height=359]

Here’s some info from the website (www.commutercars.com):

Meet the Tango
Introducing the world’s fastest urban car

The revolutionary commuter vehicle that combines the speed and agility of a motorcycle with the security and comfort of a high-performance sports car.
Beat Traffic:

The Tango’s ability to maneuver through traffic is second to none. Like a motorcycle, it can change lanes to gain advantage in traffic better than any car in history. Unlike a motorcycle, it is safe, dry, climate controlled, and can securely carry a reasonable amount of cargo. Where lane splitting is permitted (i.e., driving between lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic), such as California, Europe, and Asia, the advantage can be staggering. In extremely heavy traffic, a Tango or motorcycle can travel in 20 seconds the distance that cars travel in 20 minutes.
Help forge a congestion-free future:

The Tango can fit in a 6-foot half-lane with more clearance than a truck has in a full 12-foot freeway lane. This virtual doubling of lane capacity can make the traffic jam a fading memory.
Parking:

A Tango can park perpendicular to the curb, in left-over spaces between cars or driveways, next to buildings, or in unused corners of parking lots–in thousands of heretofore-unusable parking spaces.
Safety:

The Tango’s racecar-style roll cage design, its 4-point harnesses, its low center of gravity, and a weight comparable to a midsize sedan combine to make the Tango extremely safe.
Stability:

With 2,000 lbs. (mostly batteries) under the floor, the Tango’s static rollover threshold is equivalent to a 5-star NHTSA rating, placing it in company with the lowest slung sports cars.
Acceleration and top speed:

With over 1,000 ft-lbs. of torque, the Tango can accelerate from zero to over 130 mph in one gear. Without needing an energy-robbing transmission or differential, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds and finishes the standing 1/4 mile in about 12 seconds at over 100 mph.

For more information, please check out our

[PerryChase]

I’m all for it.

But how are the fat people going to fit in those vehicles? They can hardly fit in the SUVs as it is. It’s a non-starter for that very reason.

In Japan, cars are narrower. Over there, a normal sized car is something like a Honda Fit. Here, a normal car is a Ford Explorer or bigger.

[PerryChase]

I’m all for it.

But how are the fat people going to fit in those vehicles? They can hardly fit in the SUVs as it is. It’s a non-starter for that very reason.

In Japan, cars are narrower. Over there, a normal sized car is something like a Honda Fit. Here, a normal car is a Ford Explorer or bigger.

[sdrealtor]

Where do I put a couple kids, their friends and all the beach toys?

[sdrealtor]

Where do I put a couple kids, their friends and all the beach toys?

[lniles]

Cool post. It is all so true. I lived in Japan for 5 years and was quite amused when there was public outcry in America over the fact that there was a huge trade imbalance between Japanese cars sold to the US and US cars that were sold to Japan (I believe this uproar was during the Clinton years).

If anyone had gone to Japan and seen their roads on a normal traffic day, they would have immediately known the reason: American cars are too wide (not to mention POS’s). The few Japan residents who did buy American (for god-knows-why) forced other drivers to actually pull over whenever the American car was coming down the road the other way! Ie, on a two-lane, two-way road, the cars going the other way have to pull over so the American car can get through!

WTF is up with this? Why does everything have to be big here?

[lniles]

Cool post. It is all so true. I lived in Japan for 5 years and was quite amused when there was public outcry in America over the fact that there was a huge trade imbalance between Japanese cars sold to the US and US cars that were sold to Japan (I believe this uproar was during the Clinton years).

If anyone had gone to Japan and seen their roads on a normal traffic day, they would have immediately known the reason: American cars are too wide (not to mention POS’s). The few Japan residents who did buy American (for god-knows-why) forced other drivers to actually pull over whenever the American car was coming down the road the other way! Ie, on a two-lane, two-way road, the cars going the other way have to pull over so the American car can get through!

WTF is up with this? Why does everything have to be big here?

[Ash Housewares]

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[Ash Housewares]

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[speedingpullet]

Same in the UK, teeny tiny medieval roads that wind around and about….

Yes, you probably wouldn’t have enough room for the kids, dog and a beachball in one of those, but for short trips, or single-occupancy commuting they look quite attractive.

I keep on debating on whether to get myself a Vespa scooter for exactly the same reason, but am frightened by the terrible driving in L.A – if there was a showdown between me on a Vespa and an inatttentive Escalade driver (especially while talkng on the phone), we all know who’d win…

Another car that’s taking the Uk by storm are these:
http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=310

I like this model in particular, and I believe that Mercedes are bring out a Sports model in the near future.

[speedingpullet]

Same in the UK, teeny tiny medieval roads that wind around and about….

Yes, you probably wouldn’t have enough room for the kids, dog and a beachball in one of those, but for short trips, or single-occupancy commuting they look quite attractive.

I keep on debating on whether to get myself a Vespa scooter for exactly the same reason, but am frightened by the terrible driving in L.A – if there was a showdown between me on a Vespa and an inatttentive Escalade driver (especially while talkng on the phone), we all know who’d win…

Another car that’s taking the Uk by storm are these:
http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=310

I like this model in particular, and I believe that Mercedes are bring out a Sports model in the near future.

[drunkle]

where does the wind up key go?

[drunkle]

where does the wind up key go?

[greekfire]

sdr – you toss them in the trailer. Just kidding. These vehicles are meant to be commuter cars. There’s enough room for one passenger (I think some models allow for 2) and some room in the back for groceries, supplies, etc. They won’t haul you and your extended family or boats.

drunkle – I don’t know where the wind up key is, but they go 0-60mph in about 4 seconds. Can your car do that? Maybe they use rubber bands!

Motorcycles and scooters are an option, but I also don’t feel safe using them. The good thing about these is that they have a roll cage and you won’t get wet when it rains.

[greekfire]

sdr – you toss them in the trailer. Just kidding. These vehicles are meant to be commuter cars. There’s enough room for one passenger (I think some models allow for 2) and some room in the back for groceries, supplies, etc. They won’t haul you and your extended family or boats.

drunkle – I don’t know where the wind up key is, but they go 0-60mph in about 4 seconds. Can your car do that? Maybe they use rubber bands!

Motorcycles and scooters are an option, but I also don’t feel safe using them. The good thing about these is that they have a roll cage and you won’t get wet when it rains.

[Author]

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