The Carpocalypse

[LeonOfTheDead]

I took me 3 hours of driving on the mothorway, which isn't completely interestin, to reach Balocco last week. If a train was available to connect Modena with Balocco, or even a near town and then a bus, I would have gone for it probably.
Actually I would have avoided the 3 hours of motorway, and then drove for the 20 km of countryside roads by myself with a car. That lead me to think the motorway is simply outdated, and should be removed by a mass transportation system.
I thought about it more than once, without coming to a concrete idea, but something reached the light out of my brain.

[nota]

Still nuclear power is much more efficient and less polluting (YES, I said less polluting):

Solar energy, wind energy, water/sea/rivers energy are even better, but even more expensive than nuclear power, especially considering they are going to deliver less energy per dollar spent.

More expensive overall? The cost imposition for proportedly 'cleaning up' (aka decommissioning) old nuclear plants is ever rising:

73bn nuclear decommissioning costs 'may rise'

12 July 2008
Decommissioning the UK's first-generation civil nuclear sites and running the remaining operating sites will cost at least £73 billion over the coming decades, MPs have claimed.

The figure is an increase of 30 per cent since 2003 and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) claims there is no guarantee that this figure will not be "significantly upped".

The committee found that while the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has established decommissioning plans for clearing individual sites, there is considerable uncertainty over the costs of decommissioning.

Cost of decommissioning

In France, decommissioning of Brennilis Nuclear Power Plant, a fairly small 70 MW power plant, already cost 480 millions euros (20x the estimate costs) and is still pending after 20 years. Despite the huge investments in securing the dismantlement, radioactive elements such as Plutonium, Cesium-137 and Cobalt-60 leaked out into the surrounding lake.

In the UK, decommissioning of Windscale Advanced Cooled Reactor (WAGR), a 32 MW power plant, cost 117 millions euros.
In Germany, decommissioning of Niederaichbach nuclear power plant, a 100MW power plant, ammounted to more than 90 millions euros.

(Lack of) Decommissioning Funds
In Europe there is considerable concern on the funds necessary to finance final decommissioning. In many countries either the funds do not appear sufficient to pay the financial decommissioning, and in other countries the (substantial) funds are being used (too) freely for activities other than decommissioning, putting the funds at risk, and distorting competition with parties who do not have nuclear decommissioning funds available.

[LeonOfTheDead]

More expensive overall? The cost imposition for proportedly 'cleaning up' (aka decommissioning) old nuclear plants is ever rising:

thanks for the articles.
I still think (afaik) that green plants are more expensive to establish.
even saying solar, wind and the others plants are cheaper to build or run, can they match, atm, the energy produced by nuclear plants?
If so, I'm the first saying "go for them".

[Ferrer]

I took me 3 hours of driving on the mothorway, which isn't completely interestin, to reach Balocco last week. If a train was available to connect Modena with Balocco, or even a near town and then a bus, I would have gone for it probably.
Actually I would have avoided the 3 hours of motorway, and then drove for the 20 km of countryside roads by myself with a car. That lead me to think the motorway is simply outdated, and should be removed by a mass transportation system.
I thought about it more than once, without coming to a concrete idea, but something reached the light out of my brain.

Public transport schedules and predetermined routes make it difficult.

Also, as a personal opinion, a car is much more comfortable than just about form of public transport.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Public transport schedules and predetermined routes make it difficult.

Also, as a personal opinion, a car is much more comfortable than just about form of public transport.

no doubt.
I'm speaking generally.
I enjoy a car more than a train or bus. And I like driving even in the motorway.
But I think that for at least 50% of the people crowding the roads it isn't so, or it would be that different if provided of a real alternative.

[Rockefella]

Here in Europe we use public transport a lot, whereas I don't think this is the case in the US.

It depends on the region. My local metropolis is NYC and I remember hearing or reading that more than half of the city population takes mass transit to work. Not sure how it compares to European cities but this is the highest figure in America. As Zeppelin pointed out, IIRC, I envision high-speed rail and vast public transport solutions in the developed countries. Hybrids will bridge the gap until we can feasibly support full-electric fleets of automobiles. A 'smart' revolution will culminate over the next few decades, ranging from things like solar powered buildings/homes to a revolution in efficient living -- the likes of expansive recycling and low energy/low pollution activity.

Basically we'll be hippies from the future, in a nutshell.

[f6fhellcat13]

Leon, about your go nuke comment. The supply of uranium isn't all that great. I have heard 60-100 years left at our current rate.

As for public transport, the government really has to get their ass in gear. Using my own city, LA, as an example. Everybody drives, it would take a truly cataclysmic event to disrupt the status quo, because as IB4R said, the mobility and freedom throughout our urban sprawl is incredible with the automobile.

We should all travel in tubes.

As for the environment, I am a dirty hippie. The LA Times ran a great series of articles (that i believe won the Pulitzer), and scare-mongering that it may be in part, I think it has more truth to it than your average person would want to think. I think that something really does need to be done about the state of our planet. As a gearhead I am hesitant to blame it all on the car. I think industry in the third world needs to adopt some sort of emission standards while the first world adopts even more stringent ones.

I have heard it said that GW cannot be stopped, and if that is true I think people should start looking into what to do in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that we will live on.


or something...

[LeonOfTheDead]

Leon, about your go nuke comment. The supply of uranium isn't all that great. I have heard 60-100 years left at our current rate.

As for public transport, the government really has to get their ass in gear. Using my own city, LA, as an example. Everybody drives, it would take a truly cataclysmic event to disrupt the status quo, because as IB4R said, the mobility and freedom throughout our urban sprawl is incredible with the automobile.

We should all travel in tubes.

As for the environment, I am a dirty hippie. The LA Times ran a great series of articles (that i believe won the Pulitzer), and scare-mongering that it may be in part, I think it has more truth to it than your average person would want to think. I think that something really does need to be done about the state of our planet. As a gearhead I am hesitant to blame it all on the car. I think industry in the third world needs to adopt some sort of emission standards while the first world adopts even more stringent ones.

I have heard it said that GW cannot be stopped, and if that is true I think people should start looking into what to do in the post-apocalyptic wasteland that we will live on.


or something...

Deal.

[Kitdy]

The future is nuclear - let me get on my high horse again - but it's not in breaking atoms, it's in putting them together. Fusion is the key for green energy and we have billions of years worth of fuel in the form of hydrogen in the oceans so it's all but renewable. We just need to get the tech there and the cost down to a level where we can mass produce fusion plants and boom - CO2 crisis a lot less crisisey.

[nota]

This mass-transit concept really intruiges me.

It seems to offer much of the benefits and capacity of passenger rail and light rail, but its not confined within 'fixed route' limitations.

Instead it uniquely combines a mass-transit capability with the unmatched flexibility (not to mention passenger convenience and appeal) of 'your local street' pickup/delivery!

And reputedly much cheaper to build and operate.

Presentation is comprised of three short youtubes and, for those interested in Public Transport alternatives, well worth a decko imho

YouTube - The Adelaide 0-Bahn Part1

YouTube - The Adelaide O-Bahn Part2

YouTube - The Adelaide 0-Bahn Part3

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Great old school video, Nota.

The idea is not particularly new though - Park & Ride services are commonplace amongst most public transport infrastructures. I like the concept though - it saves having to have dedicated trains/light rail and buses. much more flexible.

[Kitdy]

Back to The Carpocalypse (aptly named by Jalopnik), Chrysler is supposedly going to declare Chapter 11 Bankruptcy tomorrow!

Now it's really happening!

[nota]

Great old school video, Nota.

The idea is not particularly new though - Park & Ride services are commonplace amongst most public transport infrastructures. I like the concept though - it saves having to have dedicated trains/light rail and buses. much more flexible.

Well this Obahn idea is 30 years old. But its not just Park & Ride, rather a 'your local street corner' pickup/delivery service .. without ever changing your seat.

Imagine a few of these Obahn networks in Canberra? (instead of what those myopic light rail 'visionaries' keep proposing)

No hideous desecration of Northborne or anywhere else, by rail-related tracks and overhead wires

Gunghalin or Tuggers local pickup, then rapid express into Civic .. up to 18,000 commuter cars per-hour, per guideway route, removed from our roads!

I'd like to see that

[togos452]

I hope NASCAR becomes what IROC was several years ago.

Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge should pull out of NASCAR. AAA and Chevron have pulled out, too.

[Ferrer]

Back to The Carpocalypse (aptly named by Jalopnik), Chrysler is supposedly going to declare Chapter 11 Bankruptcy tomorrow!

Now it's really happening!

No it isn't.