TreeHugger.com: Driver of Flintstonemobile Charged, Gets Day in Court
Al
· 2 years ago
I've been meaning to say this for a while now. Every time I scan the RSS headlines and an interesting topic catches my eye, 9 time outs of 10 it's a posting by Lloyd Alter. I enjoy the issues you present; they're always relevant of course, but often they present an issue from an unexpected angle. Keep up the good work!
Chris
· 2 years ago
I'm all for these guys winning the right to keep using the car. But, I must point out, it has no license plate (rear) no rear window. The candles surely do not meet lighting requirements of >2 minimim candlepower. Do the brakelights work? Does it have a front window?
iDevin
· 2 years ago
This vehicle is actually pretty counter-intuitive. They would be better raising awareness for their cause by simply slapping a "I drive the speed limit" bumper sticker on the back and then adhering to that statement. Not only is it going to frustrate other people on the road but it will force their vehicles to run slowly and thus not at their peak efficiency, thus creating more pollution. I admire their idea and intent, but think the execution could have used more thought.
Stacy
· 2 years ago
I'm no lawyer but the car has no motor, so presumably it does not fall into the "motorized vehicle" category and would not require a license plate. We don't need plates for our bikes either.
I totally love that shot of the bike squad coming in for "backup", or is that for a good laugh?
brennan
· 2 years ago
So? Police operate bodies without brains.
Tim
· 2 years ago
I can't wait to hear the end of this one... LLoyd - keep us posted!!!
bill
· 2 years ago
Anytime you do anything against the status quo, Big Brother will get you.
bill
· 2 years ago
Anytime you do anything against the status quo, Big Brother will get you.
Abe Lincoln
· 2 years ago
In the states I'm pretty sure you can get away with this as long as you have a slow moving vehicle sign (orange triangle) attached to the back. Putting a goat in the back seat to claim it's a vehicle of husbandry will earn you bonus points.
adam
· 2 years ago
Hmm, I think I'm going to have to take the stand on this one of they must have known they stood a good chance at drawings the attention of the police. I think this story is a good illustration of how things work (we can argue good or bad later), the artists were doing their job at making a valid point that made people think, by getting pulled over they also did it in a way as to attract attention to there case and get more people involved, that is good and we need more of that. Likewise the police officers were doing their job by attempting to get a handle on a potentially dangerous and questionably legal activity. Now the court will do it's job of figuring out who has what rights in this situation. I'm excited to hear how it goes and I wish Mr. Baldwin all the best in his case.
jimmymak
· 2 years ago
well its a good idea but they didn't have plates and it wasn't safe at all they should have got it towed or at least got a permit or something to make it legal.
AP
· 2 years ago
jimmymak, I'm curious as to what kind of permit you think exists for a car-shaped bicycle.
Xan
· 2 years ago
That video was a hoot! I most enjoyed the part where the artist-groupy blatantly hit on the lady-officer.
I just assume ride my bike with 3 of my friends, but I like the social nature of the pedal-car that was mentioned in the video.
Berit
· 2 years ago
This is a neat idea but I think it's concepts like this that give environmentalists a bad name. The car is clearly violating the law by not having a license plate and by moving dangerously slow (I'm sure there are other violations as well but I'm not familiar with the law regarding car requirements as I don't own one). It's not that the police cannot accept a modified car, it's just that a car that is dangerous to the public and the driver is not acceptable.
It's frustrating to see creative people further the divide between the perceived "establishment" and those trying to make change in this world. I think that a better action would have been to create a car that followed all of the safety laws in order to prove that one can be environmentally sound AND safe.
I think that this car should have been towed over to the showing area instead of driven and therefore causing a step back for environmentalists.
rob
· 1 year ago
An interesting thing, but keep in mind a lot of people in the United States LIVE in these things too.
RideTHISbike
· 1 year ago
Since the pedal car was being operated in Toronto, classification for this vehicle falls under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act (HTA). According to the HTA's definitions, the pedal car is a bicycle.
Bicycles are allowed to be used on roadways in Ontario. The only restriction is that bikes which cannot keep up with traffic be ridden as far to the right as possible. According to the artist that created it (Michel de Broin), the Buick pedal car has a max speed of 15 km/hr.
By the way, I heard that Michel's car was also driven and pulled over in Montreal; however, no ticket was issued there.
Ultimately, with oil prices rising and no relief in sight, this comical video may be very prophetic in terms of transportation within the next decade. Mad Max, here we come.
stevnjessie1
· 1 year ago
I suppose a pile of bricks on some wheels is also not classified as a car as well. A normal auto will smash into it easy enough as it piddles down the road. Some poor family in a fuel efficient mini car will crash into it as well as it encounters it around a corner. Guys, get a bike.
BradyDale
· 1 year ago
I don't know about Canada, but in the states something that size would need some of those slow moving vehicles tags. Get some of those and I'd be all for it. It is unsafe to have something that's that big and looks like it would behave like a car without some kind of indicia to warn people that it won't behave to expectations.
NewYork
· 4 months ago
It is most absolutely ridiculous to claim the car was unsafe in any fashion!
1. There are plenty of drivers (here at least) that do not exceed those speeds WITH an engine.
2. It is no more a car than the Rhodes quadracycle, and therefore was perfectly legal to be driven.
3. What necessitates having
4. Anyone crashing into them would have been legally liable for failure to observe:
A: as an auto they were there first
B: as a pedal vehicle, they enjoy the same legal right of way as any other pedal vehicle.
5. If no other pedal propelled vehicles require plates there, why does this one? After all, it ISN'T a motor vehicle.
The safety cops/anti-"moving against the stream folks" need to get a grip her. As was said, it's technically no different (except maybe there is more bulk to protect the operator) than a velo.
The cops stopped them properly, to investigate and see what was going on, sure; but ticket them and all that? Give me a break. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out they were within the law. Here we have books for that at the motor vehicle office that can explain that clearly enough.
All Comments
I've been meaning to say this for a while now. Every time I scan the RSS headlines and an interesting topic catches my eye, 9 time outs of 10 it's a posting by Lloyd Alter. I enjoy the issues you present; they're always relevant of course, but often they present an issue from an unexpected angle. Keep up the good work!
I'm all for these guys winning the right to keep using the car. But, I must point out, it has no license plate (rear) no rear window. The candles surely do not meet lighting requirements of >2 minimim candlepower. Do the brakelights work? Does it have a front window?
This vehicle is actually pretty counter-intuitive. They would be better raising awareness for their cause by simply slapping a "I drive the speed limit" bumper sticker on the back and then adhering to that statement. Not only is it going to frustrate other people on the road but it will force their vehicles to run slowly and thus not at their peak efficiency, thus creating more pollution. I admire their idea and intent, but think the execution could have used more thought.
I'm no lawyer but the car has no motor, so presumably it does not fall into the "motorized vehicle" category and would not require a license plate. We don't need plates for our bikes either.
I totally love that shot of the bike squad coming in for "backup", or is that for a good laugh?
So? Police operate bodies without brains.
I can't wait to hear the end of this one... LLoyd - keep us posted!!!
Anytime you do anything against the status quo, Big Brother will get you.
Anytime you do anything against the status quo, Big Brother will get you.
In the states I'm pretty sure you can get away with this as long as you have a slow moving vehicle sign (orange triangle) attached to the back. Putting a goat in the back seat to claim it's a vehicle of husbandry will earn you bonus points.
Hmm, I think I'm going to have to take the stand on this one of they must have known they stood a good chance at drawings the attention of the police. I think this story is a good illustration of how things work (we can argue good or bad later), the artists were doing their job at making a valid point that made people think, by getting pulled over they also did it in a way as to attract attention to there case and get more people involved, that is good and we need more of that. Likewise the police officers were doing their job by attempting to get a handle on a potentially dangerous and questionably legal activity. Now the court will do it's job of figuring out who has what rights in this situation. I'm excited to hear how it goes and I wish Mr. Baldwin all the best in his case.
well its a good idea but they didn't have plates and it wasn't safe at all they should have got it towed or at least got a permit or something to make it legal.
jimmymak, I'm curious as to what kind of permit you think exists for a car-shaped bicycle.
That video was a hoot! I most enjoyed the part where the artist-groupy blatantly hit on the lady-officer.
I just assume ride my bike with 3 of my friends, but I like the social nature of the pedal-car that was mentioned in the video.
This is a neat idea but I think it's concepts like this that give environmentalists a bad name. The car is clearly violating the law by not having a license plate and by moving dangerously slow (I'm sure there are other violations as well but I'm not familiar with the law regarding car requirements as I don't own one). It's not that the police cannot accept a modified car, it's just that a car that is dangerous to the public and the driver is not acceptable.
It's frustrating to see creative people further the divide between the perceived "establishment" and those trying to make change in this world. I think that a better action would have been to create a car that followed all of the safety laws in order to prove that one can be environmentally sound AND safe.
I think that this car should have been towed over to the showing area instead of driven and therefore causing a step back for environmentalists.
An interesting thing, but keep in mind a lot of people in the United States LIVE in these things too.
Since the pedal car was being operated in Toronto, classification for this vehicle falls under Ontario's Highway Traffic Act (HTA). According to the HTA's definitions, the pedal car is a bicycle.
Bicycles are allowed to be used on roadways in Ontario. The only restriction is that bikes which cannot keep up with traffic be ridden as far to the right as possible. According to the artist that created it (Michel de Broin), the Buick pedal car has a max speed of 15 km/hr.
By the way, I heard that Michel's car was also driven and pulled over in Montreal; however, no ticket was issued there.
Ultimately, with oil prices rising and no relief in sight, this comical video may be very prophetic in terms of transportation within the next decade. Mad Max, here we come.
I suppose a pile of bricks on some wheels is also not classified as a car as well. A normal auto will smash into it easy enough as it piddles down the road. Some poor family in a fuel efficient mini car will crash into it as well as it encounters it around a corner. Guys, get a bike.
I don't know about Canada, but in the states something that size would need some of those slow moving vehicles tags. Get some of those and I'd be all for it. It is unsafe to have something that's that big and looks like it would behave like a car without some kind of indicia to warn people that it won't behave to expectations.
It is most absolutely ridiculous to claim the car was unsafe in any fashion!
1. There are plenty of drivers (here at least) that do not exceed those speeds WITH an engine.
2. It is no more a car than the Rhodes quadracycle, and therefore was perfectly legal to be driven.
3. What necessitates having
4. Anyone crashing into them would have been legally liable for failure to observe:
A: as an auto they were there first
B: as a pedal vehicle, they enjoy the same legal right of way as any other pedal vehicle.
5. If no other pedal propelled vehicles require plates there, why does this one? After all, it ISN'T a motor vehicle.
The safety cops/anti-"moving against the stream folks" need to get a grip her. As was said, it's technically no different (except maybe there is more bulk to protect the operator) than a velo.
The cops stopped them properly, to investigate and see what was going on, sure; but ticket them and all that? Give me a break. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out they were within the law. Here we have books for that at the motor vehicle office that can explain that clearly enough.