4 ms·

A small, cheap electric car with a 70km range in a dense European city makes a lot of sense to me. The speed limits in much of Europe are really low. In the U

A small, cheap electric car with a 70km range in a dense European city makes a lot of sense to me. The speed limits in much of Europe are really low. In the USA we're used to driving pretty fast on 2 way roads with wide lanes at over 80kph. That's not much of Europe. I've driven over 5,000km here in Scotland just this month. The speed limits in most cities are about 60kph, and usually the max is 45kph. It is completely normal here for people to share a single lane road to drive a car, ride a bike, go for a run, and walk their dogs. It's just different than. America where every street is a temple to the car gods and walking on many streets is both weird and dangerous. When I drove in Denmark in 2017, I would travel around the area outside and of Copenhagen where the speed limits are often 50kph max. For example, from Copenhagen, Denmark to Lyngby while avoiding highways... https://maps.app.goo.gl/8e5DtpUDmSQSp31h7 https://maps.app.goo.gl/8e5DtpUDmSQSp31h7 ...takes about 19 minutes (at 6 a.m. Friday, 28 Feb, 2020) to go 13km. You just can't drive that fast in the built-up urban setting.

why-oh-why 7y ago
I don’t think you can do 80kph in US cities either. Extra-urban EU roads allow 70 or 90 as well unless really curvy or with plenty of entrances, but in cities it’s 50 or less. I always thought that matched the US. The difference I’d say is that 45kph get you much “farther” in EU cities than the average US city.
- leereeves 7y ago
  It's not uncommon to drive 70mph (110kph) on highways inside US cities. Regular roads in cities often allow up to 45mph (70kph).
  - fortytw2 7y ago
    I’m pretty sure all roads above 55mph in the US are restricted access (exit/entrance ramp only) interstates - not highways with stoplights and intersections.
    - leereeves 7y ago
      Well, interstates are highways. It's the Interstate Highway System.[1] And outside cities, there are some highways with speed limits over 55mph without restricted access.[2] 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States#Speed_limits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_Sta...
    - pascoej 7y ago
      There are tons of farm to market roads in Texas that have 70 speed limits out of towns and lower limits within towns. Many towns on these roads setup speed traps and have stoplights or stop signs. US-380 runs directly through cities with stoplights too.
    - cmurf 7y ago
      55mph roads with intersections, are all over the place in Kansas and Colorado, both in urban and rural. Some intersections have traffic lights, many don't.
- Sherl 7y ago
  Texas would like to have a word with you.
  - PopeDotNinja 7y ago
    Texas is damn huge. If you drive from Los Angeles to Houston, halfway to Houston is in Texas.
yakshaving_jgt 7y ago
There is quite a difference in how speed limits are enforced in most of Europe vs most of the USA. European authorities are generally far more lenient and reasonable.
- kungito 7y ago
  Ummm it's mostly speed cameras I'd say so 0 space for leniency
  - jeroenhd 7y ago
    If you do think a fine is unfair you can contest it pretty easily though. Most people who do this are incorrect and end up still paying the fine (because the were actually speeding) but in cases where the cameras are wrong or if there was something special going on the fine is usually thrown out the window. At least that's my observation here in .nl. Obviously the cameras aren't always right, but the people I see complaining the most are also the ones that drive >10% over the speed limit by default anyway.
    - PopeDotNinja 7y ago
      I learned to slow down. Got two tickets in a week in the Czech Republic, both for about 10km over the limit. That's about 6mph, which is most likely not going to warrant a ticket in the USA.
- mushtar 7y ago
  That's not true at all from my experience, quite the opposite. For example, in California the speed of traffic on the highway is quite often 80-85mph in a 65mph zone, and not enforced. That wouldn't fly in Germany on any road with a speed limit.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- cosmodisk 7y ago
thebruce87m 7y ago
As someone who lives in Scotland, having a car is becoming a curse if you live in a city. Too many bus lanes and one way systems. I would rather take public transport as it’s less hassle. Great for the environment, but it means that I actually go in to cities less than I normally would now that I live outside the city and have a car. I already pay for the car, and the extra cost of the public transport is expensive in addition to this. So I go less. As an aside - I can’t understand how businesses survive as a result of this seemingly conscious decision by councils to cripple incoming consumers coupled with Amazons shady marketplace that doesn’t play by the same rules in terms of fake goods.
- dwild 7y ago
  > Great for the environment, but it means that I actually go in to cities less than I normally would now that I live outside the city and have a car. I already pay for the car, and the extra cost of the public transport is expensive in addition to this. So I go less. This is exactly my experience since I bought a car.

why-oh-why 7y ago

I don’t think you can do 80kph in US cities either. Extra-urban EU roads allow 70 or 90 as well unless really curvy or with plenty of entrances, but in cities it’s 50 or less. I always thought that matched the US. The difference I’d say is that 45kph get you much “farther” in EU cities than the average US city.

leereeves 7y ago
It's not uncommon to drive 70mph (110kph) on highways inside US cities. Regular roads in cities often allow up to 45mph (70kph).
- fortytw2 7y ago
  I’m pretty sure all roads above 55mph in the US are restricted access (exit/entrance ramp only) interstates - not highways with stoplights and intersections.
  - leereeves 7y ago
    Well, interstates are highways. It's the Interstate Highway System.[1] And outside cities, there are some highways with speed limits over 55mph without restricted access.[2] 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States#Speed_limits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_Sta...
  - pascoej 7y ago
    There are tons of farm to market roads in Texas that have 70 speed limits out of towns and lower limits within towns. Many towns on these roads setup speed traps and have stoplights or stop signs. US-380 runs directly through cities with stoplights too.
  - cmurf 7y ago
    55mph roads with intersections, are all over the place in Kansas and Colorado, both in urban and rural. Some intersections have traffic lights, many don't.
Sherl 7y ago
Texas would like to have a word with you.
- PopeDotNinja 7y ago
  Texas is damn huge. If you drive from Los Angeles to Houston, halfway to Houston is in Texas.

yakshaving_jgt 7y ago

There is quite a difference in how speed limits are enforced in most of Europe vs most of the USA. European authorities are generally far more lenient and reasonable.

kungito 7y ago
Ummm it's mostly speed cameras I'd say so 0 space for leniency
- jeroenhd 7y ago
  If you do think a fine is unfair you can contest it pretty easily though. Most people who do this are incorrect and end up still paying the fine (because the were actually speeding) but in cases where the cameras are wrong or if there was something special going on the fine is usually thrown out the window. At least that's my observation here in .nl. Obviously the cameras aren't always right, but the people I see complaining the most are also the ones that drive >10% over the speed limit by default anyway.
  - PopeDotNinja 7y ago
    I learned to slow down. Got two tickets in a week in the Czech Republic, both for about 10km over the limit. That's about 6mph, which is most likely not going to warrant a ticket in the USA.
mushtar 7y ago
That's not true at all from my experience, quite the opposite. For example, in California the speed of traffic on the highway is quite often 80-85mph in a 65mph zone, and not enforced. That wouldn't fly in Germany on any road with a speed limit.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
cosmodisk 7y ago

thebruce87m 7y ago

As someone who lives in Scotland, having a car is becoming a curse if you live in a city. Too many bus lanes and one way systems. I would rather take public transport as it’s less hassle. Great for the environment, but it means that I actually go in to cities less than I normally would now that I live outside the city and have a car. I already pay for the car, and the extra cost of the public transport is expensive in addition to this. So I go less. As an aside - I can’t understand how businesses survive as a result of this seemingly conscious decision by councils to cripple incoming consumers coupled with Amazons shady marketplace that doesn’t play by the same rules in terms of fake goods.

dwild 7y ago
> Great for the environment, but it means that I actually go in to cities less than I normally would now that I live outside the city and have a car. I already pay for the car, and the extra cost of the public transport is expensive in addition to this. So I go less. This is exactly my experience since I bought a car.