Richard's blog

Tag: mobility

  • A Bridge Too Far

    A Bridge Too Far

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 5 minutesYesterday I walked to a Coop shop in Nyon by foot, to shop for a day. Rather than taking the car I chose to walk down from Eysins, across the narrow, really dangerous road and bridge to get to the other side. Along the way I saw two dog walkers question whether…

  • The Diminished Need for a Car

    The Diminished Need for a Car

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 4 minutesLast Sunday I cycled betwen Nyon and Geneva, not once but twice. I cycled from Nyon to Geneva, passing close to my old school, before getting into Geneva. Once in Geneva I joined a group ride and we cycled from Geneva towards Divonne along a similar route to the one I had…

  • On Valuing Social Networks Over Social Media

    On Valuing Social Networks Over Social Media

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesI believe that is wrong for a society dependent on cars to ban children from mobile phones and related tech. I believe that it is wrong because you create two problems. The first is that in a car centric society, where we go to school, is not where we live, so if…

  • Thoughts on Cycling and Walking in the Age of the Car

    Thoughts on Cycling and Walking in the Age of the Car

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesI often walk between towns and villages and in so doing I notice how overwhelming cars have become. If you walk from a village to a town, you have to contend with busy roads. These busy roads are often like deep rivers. Sometimes you need to wait for several minutes before you…

  • Getting Around by Foot Scooter

    Getting Around by Foot Scooter

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesWalking three kilometres one way, and then back is easy. It takes about half an hour for me. If I walk fast then it takes less time. For me, walking is easy. Using the foot scooter is more of an effort too because it requires the use of different muscle groups, than…

  • From the Foot of the Jura to the Léman

    From the Foot of the Jura to the Léman

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesToday I tried route 473 which goes from the Morges Train Station towards Montricher and across, before heading back down to the lake side. This is a 57 or so kilometre loop along roads that were quite quiet. I don’t know whether that was because of the rain forecast or because people…

  • Discussing E-Scooters

    Discussing E-Scooters

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesYesterday I was uninspired by an AI talk but went anyway and I didn’t get as much out of it as last time. That’s why, when it came to the networking part and talking about oneself I vanished to pay for my hot chocolate to have a conversation with other people. In…

  • Self-driven Cars and Failing Infrastructure

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    Reading Time: 3 minutesIn the US people are obsessed with the lure of self-driving cars and robotaxies but I think these are looking in the wrong direction. If you’re looking in the right direction you improve bus services. You improve their frequency and you improve their coverage. You also improve the bike sharing infrastructure. If…

  • Stress Testing the Ocean Drive Street E-Scooter

    Stress Testing the Ocean Drive Street E-Scooter

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesYesterday I had to drive from Nyon to Founex to do a favour for someone. Normally I would have used the car but it was in for a tire change. I was switching from winter to summer tires at last. On the way to Founex I took farm roads as much as…

  • Experimenting with the Ocean Drive Street E-Scooter

    Experimenting with the Ocean Drive Street E-Scooter

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 4 minutesOver a year ago I sold my petrol scooter because the service was expected to cost more than five hundred Swiss Francs. As a result of this I was without a scooter for a year or two. In that time I missed the convenience of having a small vehicle to take me…