The same basic design of “Pedicabs” is in use everywhere. A few privileged people relax in comfortable enclosures, as, strangely, somebody pulls them around, while completely exposed to the elements. This 19th century design is remnant of another age, where human life was virtually disposable and it has come to reduce a key subject, people moving people with minimal impact in urban surroundings, into an amusement park ride.
In a few places they are a major form of transport but in most just a relic, used almost entirely by tourists. The lives of drivers are often miserable with survival matters paramount. This condition exists now alongside a persistent and loudly-stated conclusion that we are strangling ourselves, chemically and physically, and must do whatever we can to reduce the preponderance of both large objects and dangerous substances in our environment. Since a pedicab consumes a third of the space of an automobile and generates a small fraction of its pollution, this is clearly a subject that deserves our serious attention. We do this in order to evolve this mode of travel sufficiently to enhance the likelihood of our eventual survival as a species and a society.
Discarding 19th century designs means finding 21st century designs to replace them. This can be a joyous exercise, taken up by mechanics, designers, artists and sculptors, bike lovers and city lovers, the young and the old, who know that something dramatic must be done to change our surroundings and consumption patterns and seeming inability to affect these crucial factors in our lives. This can be a genuinely inclusive process, since the tools and materials needed to accomplish this task are widespread and within the reach of most, can consist largely of “up-cycled” components.
Fortunately, the solution to this problem involves activating its creative aspects. There is obviously no one, perfect vehicle. The best solutions here are fully responsive to the local conditions that exist where the creators live. Is it sunny all the time, or rainy, cold or windy? Does it change all of the time, even on the same day? What is the physical condition of the roadways? Are electric helper motors permitted and can operators afford them? How about charging their batteries? Is the local government and schools, non-profits or businesses willing to be supportive, donate space and expertise to the project?
The human factor is important too. Are there plenty of healthy people, perhaps of different ages, who would relish the opportunity to spend part of their day building something and transporting their neighbors around? Could they use the income from this? Are there other functions that they could perform at the same time which would be of benefit and also provide additional sustenance? Deliveries? Vending? Escorting the elderly and transporting those in wheelchairs? Imparting local wisdom about local employment, shelter and other resources?
The framework of a vehicle should be minimal in weight but fully able to provide the strength needed to safely perform its tasks. This requires some engineering knowledge and real-world experience. Apart from its sturdy platform, the rest of a vehicle should be anything that can be construed by the makers, that is safe to use and provides the operator with a full measure of comfort and convenience. Leaving the rest up to the creators makes good sense, since we do not know in advance what these creations might consist of, nor should we. Is there anything wrong with a street filled with novel and interesting objects, some even beautiful?
Although any and all ideas and fabrications are welcome, from crayon drawings to fully-functional, full-scale models, one potential here is that some vehicle designs will be suitable to be duplicated for more widespread use, since they are so well conceived of and executed, that there is a market for them locally and elsewhere. Some will be individual works of art, meant to be one of a kind. Maybe, in an ideal world, local artists and craftspeople would be the ones to design and construct their own local versions of these needed conveyances. In reality, it is unlikely that his process will unfold everywhere. (Handwork and craftsmanship have suffered different fates in different cultures and economies. The advantage here may go to places that have not yet been fully industrialized.) Where local community, educational and artistic organizations, along with conscientious public authorities, become involved in this process, the results could be dramatic and maximally conspicuous as well.
Our public spaces could resemble art galleries rather than parking lots. As temperatures rise and streets become more paralyzed, we had better not lose this perfect opportunity to radically upgrade an important element of our transport system. This is not a contest. All contributions are worthy and welcome and will be put on display, and a system designed to enable the best ideas to generate the most attention. If it is determined that some prizes should awarded for different types of achievement, the cheapest, strangest, most practical, easiest to build, most unique, most beautiful, etc. that might happen eventually, but for now, most importantly, this is meant to be a lively and colorful demonstration of the common nature of so many of our most urgent concerns and how capable we are of dealing with them creatively, constructively, healthfully and maybe even cooperatively.
We go all the way bacm in 1991. with Light Wheels and Goning Nowhere Fast.
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