original post: https://feddit.org/post/10733288
Source: stux@mstdn.social
“This is why we don’t need #US #cars in #Europe”
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Someone in my city did this. Their car blocked the tram. The tram company ordered taxis for all passengers, and the car owner had to foot the bill.
Did the offender actually pay the bill? Did the tram company have to sue to get the money? Do you have a news article?
Not the case I was thinking about, but here is a similar case:
[translated] Parking in a stupid way can be expensive. In Frankfurt, the regional court has ruled that a car driver must pay for the use of 28 cabs.
[…]
The cabs collected people waiting at the stops and drove them to other stops along the route. This went on for an hour before the car parked not far from a “Please keep enough distance from the track” sign was towed away and the route was free again. […]
When the VGF then demanded 973.13 euros, 25 euros of this was a lump sum for their own expenses - and the rest was the cost of the rail replacement cabs. The court ruled out manipulation by the cab company after hearing witnesses, and the court was also unable to recognize any dilly-dallying during towing.
The car driver did not have any legal grounds for not paying for the cabs, this only went to a court because they tried to accuse the cab company.
#1 vehicle for drivers being under the influence of alcohol.
Even setting aside that it’s so unnecessarily huge, imagine having the utter contempt for others and self-importance necessary to park up on tram lines like that.
French has a nice neologism for this phenomenon: autobésité
So what will the authorities in the Netherlands do in this situation? Put a ticket on it and then wait for the owner to move it? Tow it to an impound lot? Flip it and light it on fire?
Whatever size the vehicle, you can’t block the tracks…
EDIT: I’ve been in this situation in streetcars in San Francisco and New Orleans. No emergency vehicles came, no super tow truck…the streetcar just waited and blocked traffic until the driver came back and moved their vehicle. I don’t know what would have happened if the driver never came back, but nothing happened in the 20-30 minutes we waited.
In Helsinki they have a specific emergency vehicle for clearing tram tracks. It’s especially busy during winter as snow takes away some space from the parking and cars tend to start taking space away from the trams.
Article is in Finnish but hopefully automatic translation can get enough across.
In my country your car get towed and you get a ticket. Theoretically you could be charged with disruption of a public service.
In my country they tow tram track blockers immediately. I think it’s some sort of ‘emergency’ towing too (arrives faster and is more expensive). If it takes too long, they temporarily replace the tram line with a bus. I imagine it’s the same in many places.
In Germany they sometime use Taxis as the car driver is liable for the cost.
I don’t even drive a big vehicle, but I know that I would be mortified if I drove somewhere only to realize that my vehicle is like 2x the size of every other vehicle around me, and I cannot fit into any parking spot.
How do these people live with themselves? I would get out of the truck, take a look at how far I’m blocking the road, and then just drive away and never come back.
Here’s an answer to your question in joke form.
How does a
devadiva change a lightbulb?She holds the bulb and waits for the world to revolve around her.
Did you mean diva?
Thank you though, I have a new wiki page to learn about myself. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Hinduism)
You’re a supernatural being?
These cars should be banned in Europe. If your car doesn’t fit into a parking spot, it’s too big.
They’re not a car, they’re a truck, and can do things no passenger vehicle can do.
Trying to park a light truck in the middle of a city is entirely on the driver though.
The space in the back is smaller than the trunk a station wagon usually has. So all they can do is tow something, which any run off the mill SUV can also do. For the vast majority of actual work, we tend to use Sprinters in Europe. These trucks are completely useless here.
Vehicles like this are typically a “one Tonne” pickup, meaning they can carry a metric tonne or more in the bed. They can also tow huge amounts, 4.5 tonne or more often.
Whether the owner actually uses that capacity is another question, but they can do things no SUV or station wagon can.
A VW transporter can carry 800kg, a Mercedes Sprinter up to 1.5t and their lengths are not absolutely absurd:
(Pictured is the VW but Mercedes is roughly the same length)
The only thing left then is the towing weight, that’s limited to 2 tons for the Volkswagen, same for the Mercedes Sprinter. But I’d assume that usually people towing more than that in Europe would go for a semi truck anyway.
What are people in the US towing that weighs that much regularly?
The thing is that large vans can also carry all that stuff and they can lock it up, protect it from the elements, and access it more easily because the floor is lower than a truck bed. They can also carry a wider variety of things since the inside of a work van is much longer and has walls to support various items. The entire benefit of a truck bed compared to a van can be defeated easily by a laying down a tarp(say, if you’re bringing in gravel) except for if you’re trying to tow a fifth-wheel or have converted the truck to be a tow-truck. I guess you could make an argument for carrying a single, small hay bale but I c’mon that’s like an American saying they need forty-five guns in case the government goes crazy while actively electing the craziest government officials; it’s clear they don’t know what they talking about and just think they’re neat but can’t simply admit it.
I watched coworkers here in Canada buy two F-150s after they attended a single track day for motorcycles. The coworker who raced regularly, though, drove a little Ford Transit and the coworker who had a small race team and actually built parts for motoGP teams had a Mercedes Metris. Watching people struggle to get a little Ninja 250 out of the F-150 was hilarious and getting my Ninja 1000, a couple hundred pounds heavier, into the Metris one time was super easy. They could have just bought a trailer like my dad did and which we towed with a Subaru Outback, later a VW Golf, and now a Subaru STi.
Trucks are largely worthless and the people who buy them very rarely use them for anything they are the only option for, often using them for things they are, in fact, greatly ill-suited to handle.
I own a 2008 Dodge Sprinter. You can put two full size round hay bales in the thing and close it, or about 15-20 of the rectangular hay bales.
Trucks only have the advantage of the ability to install and use a fifth wheel towing mount.
Canadian here - they’re useless here too. Saw a guy the other day who couldn’t even put some 2x4s in his box because it was to short due to having full size back seats. He had them poking through the window into the cab 😂
Ah yeah , it’s big body season now in EU
“This is why we don’t need #US #cars in #Europe”
We don’t need this shit in the US, either. I hope that tram just rammed the fucker.
I hope too. But because the news headline would be “Dodge Rammed”
I know we’re being hyperbolic here but hard disagree – how awful would that be for everyone on-board? And absolutely not worth the damage to public infrastructure. There’s an established procedure for dealing with blockages, and I hope that process irreparably damages the truck and results in a hefty fine for the owner
Puts down Molotov cocktail… Are you sure?
Stand down, soldier. It is not yet your time.
Jump down the shelters to get away
The boys are cockin’ up their guns
Tell us general, is it party time?
If it is, can we all come?
Time to equip the tram with giant sawblades to clear the way.
Just needs a cowcatcher
AKA a pilot.
That would still move the offending car around, potentially damaging the normal, innocent car and the bikes parked next to it.
This looks like a show down.
Tram be like:
"You’re big because the single person inside you is insecure.
I’m big because there are 100 people inside me.
We are not the same."
there are 100 people inside me.
😳
Found Annabel Chong.
Extremely fucked up. Not the quantity of men (it would have probably been extremely painful a couple hours in though. and even more so if she took a break in between), but the fact that she wasn’t paid and wasn’t fairly informed about risks.
