Bri | 🚴📦💨✨ | 🏳️‍🌈
@cargot_robbie@urbanists.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

I love this chart. The simple truth is that road wear isn't caused equally by all road users, and it isn't even a linear relationship to vehicle mass.

It's GEOMETRIC.

Estimates of road wear use the FOURTH power of axle load.

https://roaddamagecalculator.com/how-it-works

Me + my bike, fully loaded: 200Kg
Toyota RAV4, dry mass: 1500Kg, 2 axles
2 * (7504) / 2004 ≈ 395

Nearly FOUR HUNDRED TIMES more road damage. Be serious.

Chart credit: Ben Durham https://youtube.com/watch?v=JVD32ZC-784

#BikeTooter#Urbanism

A three column table, with values in the third column normalized to a factor of 1 "Average Car" (fifth row) Column titles: Vehicle Approximate vehicle weight in pounds Comparative level of damage Rows: 9 ton big rig, 18000lbs, 410.0625x Hummer H2, 8600lbs, 21.3675x Chevy Tahoe, 5500lbs, 3.5745x Toyota Highlander, 4250lbs, 1.2744x Average Car, 4000lbs, 1x RAV 4, 3550lbs, 0.6204x Prius, 3050lbs, 0.338x Smart Car, 1800lbs, 0.041x Heavy Person on a Heavy Bicycle, 350lbs, 0.00006x
A three column table, with values in the third column normalized to a factor of 1 "Average Car" (fifth row) Column titles: Vehicle Approximate vehicle weight in pounds Comparative level of damage Rows: 9 ton big rig, 18000lbs, 410.0625x Hummer H2, 8600lbs, 21.3675x Chevy Tahoe, 5500lbs, 3.5745x Toyota Highlander, 4250lbs, 1.2744x Average Car, 4000lbs, 1x RAV 4, 3550lbs, 0.6204x Prius, 3050lbs, 0.338x Smart Car, 1800lbs, 0.041x Heavy Person on a Heavy Bicycle, 350lbs, 0.00006x
A three column table, with values in the third column normalized to a factor of 1 "Average Car" (fifth row) Column titles: Vehicle Approximate vehicle weight in pounds Comparative level of damage Rows: 9 ton big rig, 18000lbs, 410.0625x Hummer H2, 8600lbs, 21.3675x Chevy Tahoe, 5500lbs, 3.5745x Toyota Highlander, 4250lbs, 1.2744x Average Car, 4000lbs, 1x RAV 4, 3550lbs, 0.6204x Prius, 3050lbs, 0.338x Smart Car, 1800lbs, 0.041x Heavy Person on a Heavy Bicycle, 350lbs, 0.00006x
Bri | 🚴📦💨✨ | 🏳️‍🌈
@cargot_robbie@urbanists.social replied  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

I apologise for Ben's fatphobic chart language. As a fat them on a freakishly heavy bike, I don't condone it but I do represent it.

My calculation was the most generous interpretation, for drivers. Rider weight excluded for the RAV4 but not the bike. I interpreted axle load to mean wheel pairs, but it's more accurate to treat both vehicles as 2 axle.

The technically accurate calculation:
2 x (7504) / 2 x (504) ≈ 50625x

Drivers should give $2 to every cyclist they meet, on principle.