Knockdown college

[ewx]

A common response to complaints about a shortage of road space in Cambridge is “which college do you want to knock down?”.

[Poll #459884]

Comments

[gerald_duck]

The kind of thing I'm thinking of is computer systems and music-making equipment, up to and including digital pianos, drumkits, guitar amp stacks and PA equipment.

The cargotrike looks encouraging, but the 250kg load limit seems to include the driver's weight.

Besides which, given all the cobbles and speed bumps, I think something with at least some suspension would be a good idea when trying to carry anything even remotely delicate!

Cargo trike.

[armb.livejournal.com]

I think it's cargo load in addition to the driver - the pedicab version takes three adult passengers.
I agree suspension would be good. Looking at this (http://www.cyclesmaximus.com/generalfeatures.htm) and this (http://www.cyclesmaximus.com/flatbed.htm), there is a bit, but adding more on top of the platform might be appropriate for that sort of load.

They aren't cheap though (can't see a price list of their own site, http://www.workbike.org/zero/maximus.htm says £3410.00 for the cargo trike).

[gerald_duck]

The cost is an issue. Note that I couldn't sensibly actually buy one: what's needed is for one to be available for cheap hire (it'd have to be self-drive, since there's no room for both a passenger and a load) between the city centre and park and ride. What are the odds of that happening?

Note that it'd have to be available for hire after midnight, by the way.

[armb.livejournal.com]

> What are the odds of that happening?

A cargo one might not face the same taxi opposition as slane's trishaws, but still roughly bugger all. I wasn't claiming a practical solution, merely pointing out a possibility. It wouldn't necessarily have to be self-drive, you could hire the rider too and use your conventional bike to accompany them to load and unload, but that probably reduces the chances of it being economic.

One the other hand, if "The answer is clearly to ban all traffic from the most central part of cambridge town", then the demand for something like that might go up to the point where it is plausible someone could afford to buy one of these to hire out.

(There are bicycle delivery services in some places - http://home.t-online.de/home/radlast/Eservice.htm)

I was looking for this earlier - http://hpv.tricolour.net/organ-trailer.html
Hammond organ (and organist) on a trailer pulled by a bike (well, a recumbent tandem trike).


> Note that it'd have to be available for hire after midnight, by the way.

You'ld need the Park and Rides working that late too then. You can get a car out after the barrier in closes, but transfering a big load would be trickier. Maybe Velvet's hypothetical ban wouldn't apply that late though.