• @[email protected]
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    28918 days ago

    “This is why we don’t need #US #cars in #Europe”

    We don’t need this shit in the US, either. I hope that tram just rammed the fucker.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      17418 days ago

      I hope the city seized the truck, auctioned it off, and fined the owner for littering.

      • Liz
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        4018 days ago

        More like melted it down for scrap

      • @[email protected]
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        18 days ago

        In Estonia, at your second speeding drunk-driving violation they confiscate your vehicle - and if it’s an SUV they send it to Ukraine.

        For backstory, see latest episode of the podcast The Urbanist Agenda.

        • @[email protected]
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          1518 days ago

          I heard this was if you get caught for drunk driving the second time, they stepped up their game damn.

          • @[email protected]
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            1318 days ago

            You’re right, I meant drunk driving, not speeding.

            But some countries take speeding pretty seriously too (as they should). In Norway you get a short jail spell for something like a 30kmh excess. In Switzerland the fines are adjusted for income so that rich speeders pay more - one guy paid over €1 million! Same system in Finland too, I believe.

            • @[email protected]
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              418 days ago

              Speeding and drink driving play a big part in traffic deaths and also the cost of fixing all the people who do survive is totally preventable so I am all for it. Progressive fines sound very fair too, misbehaving companies in some cases also pay a percentage of their profit so why not citizens as well.

              • @[email protected]
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                217 days ago

                My wealthy ex’s family would just pay the tickets, so he never learned.

                I’d beg him not to go 40 in school zones.

                • @[email protected]
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                  217 days ago

                  Could be that their wealth caused them not to care about fines, if they had to pay 5% of that wealth every time they would definity take it easy in school zones.

                • @[email protected]
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                  117 days ago

                  Don’t you get deducted points for speeding? Like after a while wouldn’t he lose his license, regardless of how much he pays?

    • @[email protected]
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      1818 days ago

      I know we’re being hyperbolic here but hard disagree – how awful would that be for everyone on-board? And absolutely not worth the damage to public infrastructure. There’s an established procedure for dealing with blockages, and I hope that process irreparably damages the truck and results in a hefty fine for the owner

        • @[email protected]
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          1218 days ago

          Yeah exactly. Even in jest I loathe this unquestioned impulse to punish the offender without any thought to collateral. This driver’s primary offense is being oblivious to their impact on others – what message is sent if the reaction is just as oblivious?

          Okay I’m done policing morals.

  • @[email protected]
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    26218 days ago

    Someone in my city did this. Their car blocked the tram. The tram company ordered taxis for all passengers, and the car owner had to foot the bill.

      • The_Caretaker
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        2818 days ago

        @conditional_soup @shadowtofu
        Would that mean that since the tram has the right of way on the tracks it can simply push the offending driver’s property off the tracks and any damage is legally the fault of the idiot driver?

        • Yeather
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          2418 days ago

          Brightline is Florida’s highspeed rail line between Orlando (Theme Parks) and Miami. It opened recently and has destroyed many cars and trucks that sit at stoplights on the train tracks.

          • @[email protected]
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            2618 days ago

            Me and the wife like to drive down from Tallahassee real early so we can spend the entire day riding the Brightline. They got a special car for those of us that buy the all-day passes. Its like tailgating at the ball game, people bring their coolers and sometimes a small grill. We always have a couple spotters watching for cars on the track ahead of us. If the cars linger on the track too long then we all start the war chant. It started out as BL! BL! BL! SMASH!, but now it has kind of morphed into BALLER! BALLER! BALLER! SMASH!
            It’s like driving in a demolition derby but at like 125 mph and you don’t have to spend any time or money getting a hoopty running.

            • @[email protected]
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              17 days ago

              I want to believe this is real but it sounds too good to not be a meme. People ride trains as a hobby in Florida?? Pics (video) or it didn’t happen.

              • @[email protected]
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                317 days ago

                I admit at first we all felt like filthy communists, but the rush you get from the sound of the steel wheels sliding on steel rails followed by the sound of a train obliterating a Nissan at over 90 mph is god damn addictive. Occasionally, we’ll catch a lifted pickup that has stalled on the tracks (ironically it’s almost always a Dodge Ram) and man those dumbasses universally want to blame the train, so we all get to “Stand out ground” and riddle that truck with so many bullets that it doubles in weight. Hell, that’s how I met my bff Harlan. He was working off his community service time for his 3rd DUI right there next to the track picking up litter. Next thing you know him, me, and the train engineer are seeing who can spin the rear tire of some upside down Dodge the fastest. Harlan is a damn good shot, but since he was serving community time he wasn’t allowed to carry anything bigger than a 9mm, so he definitely lost that one.

        • @[email protected]
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          2118 days ago

          Not only that, but Brightline helpfully disassembles the offending vehicle so that any parts that are damaged in the move can easily be identified along the debris field.

    • @[email protected]
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      4818 days ago

      Did the offender actually pay the bill? Did the tram company have to sue to get the money? Do you have a news article?

      • The_Caretaker
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        8318 days ago

        @rabber @shadowtofu
        Tram company makes money by moving people. When the tram line stops moving, they lose money by the minute. 1000 Euros per minute plus the standard fee for a parking ticket seems fair. That should make the driver pay attention in the future.

        • @[email protected]
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          2218 days ago

          I mean I’m all for fining them but there’s no chance they’re getting 1000 euro/min lol

          • @[email protected]
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            17 days ago

            It’s a network. It’s not just the people in that tram. But all trams on that line and all people connecting through that line that are effected. And that specific track might actually run multiple lines as well. Depending on the country they might be applicable for an reimbursement fee. And lets not start about all the costs the passengers might incur… So €1000/min seems fine for me for this shit head

          • The_Caretaker
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            1817 days ago

            @mac Get found to be intentionally delaying a train in Japan and they bill you a huge amount of money. Not just for the train you delayed, it’s also all the trains on the line behind it that also get delayed. 1000 Euros a minute seem reasonable considering the lost money for the tram company and the lost time of thousands of riders. Plus reduced reputation for the reliability and punctuality of the service causes incalculable loss to the train / tram company.

            • @[email protected]
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              517 days ago

              I’m not going to defend this ridiculous vehicle and the extremely poor parking but there’s just no way a court would award 1,000 euros a minute.

              It’s an absurd number you just picked that seems commensurate with everyone’s hatred for these cars.

              Intentionally delaying a train is not analogous to parking your car on a tramway. Intent is important. Also a train might contain several hundred passengers while a tram might have a few dozen at most.

              The reduced reputation as a result of this happenstance will be infinitesimals. No judge would award losses for reputation over this.

              • @[email protected]
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                17 days ago

                You’re really missing the whole point that these kinds of delays propagate through the whole network. All trams after this point have to stop or they start congesting the roads. So all lines that share the same track and switchovers might have to be stopped too if there aren’t enough alternatives (which tram tracks usually don’t have a lot). This can easily halt a huge part of the tram network depending where in the network this congestion is.

                And when the congestion is finally resolved it might still take a long time for everything to finally run smoothly again. You’re also looking at worker overtime, depending on how long it took the car to get removed. They might not be allowed to drive further anymore because they are over their time limits, so now you have to shuffle around tram drivers too adding to more delays.

              • The_Caretaker
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                417 days ago

                @null_dot
                {Also a train might contain several hundred passengers while a tram might have a few dozen at most.}
                True but what about the next one and the one after that etc etc? This driver didn’t just block the tram they blocked the line. Intent is proven by the obvious tracks that are being blocked by the car that the driver would have to have driven over to get to the parking space.

              • @[email protected]
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                417 days ago

                Okay, how about a large fine based on wealth, 1 year community service, and a lifetime ban on owning a vehicle and driving?

      • @[email protected]
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        17 days ago

        Not the case I was thinking about, but here is a similar case:

        [translated] Parking in a stupid way can be expensive. In Frankfurt, the regional court has ruled that a car driver must pay for the use of 28 cabs.

        […]

        The cabs collected people waiting at the stops and drove them to other stops along the route. This went on for an hour before the car parked not far from a “Please keep enough distance from the track” sign was towed away and the route was free again. […]

        When the VGF then demanded 973.13 euros, 25 euros of this was a lump sum for their own expenses - and the rest was the cost of the rail replacement cabs. The court ruled out manipulation by the cab company after hearing witnesses, and the court was also unable to recognize any dilly-dallying during towing.

        The car driver did not have any legal grounds for not paying for the cabs, this only went to a court because they tried to accuse the cab company.

  • atro_city
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    18218 days ago

    These cars should be banned in Europe. If your car doesn’t fit into a parking spot, it’s too big.

    • Oyml
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      9118 days ago

      They don’t even fit in the parking spaces in the United States. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes waiting for some dipshit to figure out how to maneuver his monster vehicle into or out of a space.

      • @[email protected]
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        2618 days ago

        Guess it depends on how you live. I’m over here like “how do you have spots that don’t fit trucks? Every other car on the road is that size”

        Context, I live in Texas.

        Also also, I’ve been to the Netherlands and those spots in towns are tight fits for a normal car. Even a large full size German sedan probably wouldn’t fit. But that’s fine because almost everyone parks outside of town and uses public transportation or walks or bikes. You basically can’t drive around in town. This truck driver is just an idiot.

        • @[email protected]
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          2018 days ago

          Not so sure about that, given that I’m pretty sure there’s a full sized Mercedes in the back row, and what to me looks like a Volvo in the middle slot, facing the camera.

          • @[email protected]
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            718 days ago

            I’m all for banning pick-up trucks, but @neclimdul has a point. The Mercedes you point at in the back row is literally the smallest Mercedes (A-class) and the Volvo in front row is an older full-sized wagon, which isn’t big in todays standards. A “full size” today, is definitely closer to 5m or even a little over (BMW 5-series). A mid-sized like a C class or 3-series is 4,80. Cars have grown a lot over the years!

            But where @neclimdul makes a good point, if you take the largest sedans manufacturers offer, they won’t fit the spot either. For instance: Mercedes S-class is 5,20m long (for the regular version).

            Still, the pick-up trucks like pictured are way bigger, for reference a RAM is 5,80m. So in this example, if we’d parked a Mercedes S-class in the same spot, it will cross the line as well, but the tram would still have enough clearance to pass.

        • @[email protected]
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          418 days ago

          Second that. I drive a Seat Alhambra, and parking in Rotterdam is a pain in the whatever. We have turned to leave the car on the hotel parking lot and use the tram, which, incidentally, seems to be the only vehicle the cyclists actually respect, even when they basically ignore all signs and traffic lights.

          • @[email protected]
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            117 days ago

            Seat Alhambra

            Never heard of this vehicle before. Now I want one. Wonder how much it’d cost to import it to Canada…

            • @[email protected]
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              117 days ago

              I use both the ability to fold over the seats and have 2m³ booth (when I do the St. Nicolas tour, or when I move models to and from exhibitions), as well as the complete foldout to seven seats (although I have only used up to six so far).

              It’s a great car. And it can tow up to 1.8t in Europe, too.

      • @[email protected]
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        418 days ago

        Yea, I was going to say this. We have to park in the back of a lot with the tailgate over a curb to the truck fits into a space.

    • @[email protected]
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      1817 days ago

      Yeah this is the thing.

      If someone can make a case for actually needing the capabilities of this vehicle… fine. That doesn’t mean you can just park wherever you want and complain that the bays are too small though.

    • @[email protected]
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      4318 days ago

      Owners of such cars should be required to take extra training about where they can operate them, restricting them like large commercial vehicles (which these try to be)

      Let them have them; don’t let them drive them in tight urban areas, don’t let them park in parking places that can’t fit them

      Australia is much like America with places designed for motor vehicles. So American light trucks fit here, but many of our carparks do not allow vehicles longer than 5m to enter

        • @[email protected]
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          317 days ago

          A brand new Ford Transit Custom is just over 5m, there’s probably a few station wagons that are the same.

      • @[email protected]
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        818 days ago

        One of the many points that prevent cybertrucks from European roads is actually the requirement for a commercial truckers licence to operate it.

        • @[email protected]
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          17 days ago

          Don’t forget the most important thing you can do with a Ram: mod the diesel engine to spit out even more black smoke than normal while surviving smashing into something when you’re drink driving on a residential road.

    • @[email protected]
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      317 days ago

      They’re not a car, they’re a truck, and can do things no passenger vehicle can do.

      Trying to park a light truck in the middle of a city is entirely on the driver though.

      • @[email protected]
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        1517 days ago

        The space in the back is smaller than the trunk a station wagon usually has. So all they can do is tow something, which any run off the mill SUV can also do. For the vast majority of actual work, we tend to use Sprinters in Europe. These trucks are completely useless here.

        • @[email protected]
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          217 days ago

          Vehicles like this are typically a “one Tonne” pickup, meaning they can carry a metric tonne or more in the bed. They can also tow huge amounts, 4.5 tonne or more often.

          Whether the owner actually uses that capacity is another question, but they can do things no SUV or station wagon can.

          • @[email protected]
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            117 days ago

            A VW transporter can carry 800kg, a Mercedes Sprinter up to 1.5t and their lengths are not absolutely absurd:

            (Pictured is the VW but Mercedes is roughly the same length)

            The only thing left then is the towing weight, that’s limited to 2 tons for the Volkswagen, same for the Mercedes Sprinter. But I’d assume that usually people towing more than that in Europe would go for a semi truck anyway.

            What are people in the US towing that weighs that much regularly?

            • @[email protected]
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              117 days ago

              Boats and caravans, same reason the most popular new vehicle where I live is the Ford Ranger.

              Also, the person I replied to was talking about station wagons, which most definitely cannot carry 1.5 tonnes.

          • @[email protected]
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            717 days ago

            The thing is that large vans can also carry all that stuff and they can lock it up, protect it from the elements, and access it more easily because the floor is lower than a truck bed. They can also carry a wider variety of things since the inside of a work van is much longer and has walls to support various items. The entire benefit of a truck bed compared to a van can be defeated easily by a laying down a tarp(say, if you’re bringing in gravel) except for if you’re trying to tow a fifth-wheel or have converted the truck to be a tow-truck. I guess you could make an argument for carrying a single, small hay bale but I c’mon that’s like an American saying they need forty-five guns in case the government goes crazy while actively electing the craziest government officials; it’s clear they don’t know what they talking about and just think they’re neat but can’t simply admit it.

            I watched coworkers here in Canada buy two F-150s after they attended a single track day for motorcycles. The coworker who raced regularly, though, drove a little Ford Transit and the coworker who had a small race team and actually built parts for motoGP teams had a Mercedes Metris. Watching people struggle to get a little Ninja 250 out of the F-150 was hilarious and getting my Ninja 1000, a couple hundred pounds heavier, into the Metris one time was super easy. They could have just bought a trailer like my dad did and which we towed with a Subaru Outback, later a VW Golf, and now a Subaru STi.

            Trucks are largely worthless and the people who buy them very rarely use them for anything they are the only option for, often using them for things they are, in fact, greatly ill-suited to handle.

            • @[email protected]
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              17 days ago

              I own a 2008 Dodge Sprinter. You can put two full size round hay bales in the thing and close it, or about 15-20 of the rectangular hay bales.

              Trucks only have the advantage of the ability to install and use a fifth wheel towing mount.

              • @[email protected]
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                116 days ago

                I’m imagining that actually getting those large haybales in there is probably a whole thing, no? Either way, the little ones would be fine for sure like you say and I’m willing to bet that even farmers aren’t exactly hauling any of it around in their trucks anyway.

    • bitwolf
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      518 days ago

      They say everything is bigger in Texas. Apparently not the parking spaces. These ugly trucks don’t even fit in parking lots.

  • @[email protected]
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    2017 days ago

    And the orange man doesn’t understand why Europeans don’t want to buy American cars. :\

  • @[email protected]
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    1317 days ago

    Why would you even do that? Give that asshole a fat ticket for doing something like that

    • Iron Lynx
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      116 days ago

      Trust me, if I were in charge of tramway clearance management, I would sound an annoying alarm at the vehicle, before having it be towed. Trying to tell the owner that they have until the tow truck arrives to remove the truck.

  • @[email protected]
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    18 days ago

    This is 100% illegal, even if there was no tram rails. City would toe tow this car if they were quick enough to respond too.

    • @[email protected]
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      417 days ago

      I love the thought of this bozo having to pick up his wanktank from the impound yard every week because he was improperly parked.

      It’s not even the fines or the embarrassment, because I’m sure this is some rich asshole who cares zero about others, but the inconvenience of having his car towed constantly would bring me so much joy…

  • @[email protected]
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    8018 days ago

    This looks like a show down.

    Tram be like:

    "You’re big because the single person inside you is insecure.

    I’m big because there are 100 people inside me.

    We are not the same."

  • Blaster M
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    2318 days ago

    I see someone parked their emotional support truck in the normal car parking spot.

      • @[email protected]
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        317 days ago

        No joke, I nearly died walking across Waterlooplein a few years ago. I had no idea there were even trolley tracks there. I heard or maybe just felt something, stopped walking and turned my head - to see a trolley whizzing past about an inch away from me.

      • @[email protected]
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        417 days ago

        Could be partially true if they are actually from America. Lots of places have old tracks that are not in use but left in places like downtowns (sad and ironic). Definitely not an excuse but possibly some context.

        • @[email protected]
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          417 days ago

          I live near a (US) town that has an active trolley line down the center of the main street. People block that fucking thing all the time.

      • @[email protected]
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        17 days ago

        I worked the ER for a smaller hospital in the past and one evening I was called in because a father had ran over his own son with one of those pickups. The kid ran out to greet him but the father couldn’t see his own kid because the lifted pickup’s hood was too high.

        I sincerely hate those wanktanks with all my heart and soul

  • @[email protected]
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    817 days ago

    I’m in the US and have a 1970 Fiat 500. That little car can handle quite a few of my needs. I sometimes use it for work, when I only have estimates. Normally I drive a full size Ford E150 van.

    I appreciate the Fiat because it’s so different from everything on the roads here, just fun to drive, (I’m 54, so at an age where things like lumbar support and other creature comforts are nice) and it’s just uncomfortable enough to make me really appreciate our more modern and larger vehicles (the For van, a Mercury Cougar convertible, a Dodge 2500 4x4, and a Volvo XC70).

    The only real bad side is that between it’s age and the fact that they were never freaky imported into the US, parts aren’t readily available. The last time I used it for work, it broke down.

  • @[email protected]
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    3517 days ago

    There is something poetic about this image and how the USA “fits” in with the rest of the world.

    • [email protected]
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      3918 days ago

      Alcohol would explain why someone would purchase the fuck off monstrosity that is the ram. Renting a truck is a better option 99% of the time.