Lang leve de bakfiets!

Freight bicycles or Freight tricycles or cargo bikes are human powered vehicles designed and constructed specifically for transporting large loads. Vehicle designs usually include a cargo handling area consisting of an enclosed box (cabinet), a flat platform, or a wire bracket basket. These may be mounted between parallel wheels at either the front or rear of the vehicle. The frame and drivetrain must be constructed to handle loads several times that of an ordinary bicycle. Other specific design considerations include operator visibility and load suspension.

Historically, freight bicycles were heavy-duty standard bicycles, typically with heavy carriers at front or rear. During the early part of the 20th Century these were commonly used by tradespeople for local deliveries (in the UK this style is still sometimes known as a butcher’s bike, although the Post Office have by far the largest fleet). Modern freight cycles vary much more widely, often being tailored to particular applications.

Links: Additional Uses for Freight Cycles | Wikipedia | Wikimedia Commons

Trolleybus to save the day?

[EN] Is the trolley bus the way forward in making our public transport system ready in the face of climate catastrophy? Some cities in Europe are upgrading their trolley bus networks and some are even planning the construction of new ones. With Britain having such as vast history on the ‘old trolley’, wouldn’t it be worth looking into the possibility of returning to this potential zero-emission way of transport?

Like other electric vehicles, trolleybuses are often seen as more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel or hydrocarbon-based vehicles (gasoline, diesel, alcohol, etc.), but the power is not “free”, having instead to be produced at centralised power plants, with attendant transmission losses. On the other hand, centrally-produced power has the advantage of being more efficient, not bound to a specific fuel source and more amenable to pollution-control as a single-source supply than are individual vehicles with their own engines that exhaust noxious gases and particulates at street level. Moreover, some cities, like Calgary, Alberta, run their commuter light rail networks using wind energy, which is effectively emission-free once the turbines are built and installed. A further advantage of trolleybuses is that they can generate electric power from kinetic energy whilst braking, a process known as regenerative braking.

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_bus

Nottingham used to run a vast network of trolleybusses. The first trolley was introduced in 1927 and in 1930 it was the largest fleet in the country. The last trolley bus operated in Nottingham until June 1966. Recently a new book was launched on the history of Nottingham’s Trolleys, but more about that later.

A quiet evening on 21s

[EN] Tuesday, start at 4pm. It’s a drowsy day. Wind and rain and a neverending line up of journeys up and down to Carlton Valley. It’s the route 21 and I’m on late shifts this week, mostly up to midnight. An oil spillage in the city and the rainy conditions had me sliding along Parliament Street earlier. Not long after that, even though warnings had been given out over the radio, a woman got caught under a dubble decker bus that was unable to stop. She was appearently ok though. Later on in the evening my bus got attacked by a group of rock trowing youth and I nearly had an egg trown against my head. It just splashed on the window instead. Then towards the end of the evening a man with the firm belief the Lord was his saviour continued to pray and shout throughout the journey, to the annoyance and amusement of most passengers. Oh and not to forget the diversion on the route which takes you down some small side street on which everyone seems to manage to park just on the bend. Pffff, I love this job!

Caught speeding? Oops!

[NL] Deze politie auto (of wat er nog van over is) knalde hier in Nottingham achterop een bus. Hij vatte direct vlam en de agenten konden er nog maar net uitklimmen. Ze zaten in de achtervolging en konden de dubbeldekker bus niet ontwijken. Moeten ze maar niet zo snel rijden!

[EN] This policecar (or what’s left of it) drove straight into the back of a bus in Nottingham yesterday. It caught fire straight away and the officers were just about able to bail out. They were in a car chase and couldn’t avoid the dubbledecker. Shouldn’t drive so bloody fast!