cattoApr 21, 2023
Alissa Walker

When the Ann Street parking garage collapsed in NYC this week I couldn’t help but notice nearly every car on the roof was an SUV.

Now it turns out the weight of the cars stacked in a century-old structure is being considered by the city as a factor. I talked to engineer Russell Simmons who has been sounding the alarm about big cars in old buildings

https://www.curbed.com/2023/04/parking-garage-collapse-heavier-electric-vehicles-suvs.html

Apr 21, 2023 at 1:28pmWeb
Show threadAlchemistApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla Heavier vehicles also put a bigger strain on roads and bridges as well. Combine that with aging infrastructure and we're going to have more catastrophes like this one.
Show threadDieuApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla If anyone got injured or killed I promise I'll fell bad for laughing.
Show threadJ$Apr 21, 2023

@awalkerinla short little guess: the response to the Invasion of the Megatrucks will be… more megamonstertruck accommodation.

Total resource exhaustion will buck that trend in a couple of years, but not before our final collective death sentence is signed and sealed.

Show threadDarwin WoodkaApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla the hell do you need an SUV for in NYC anyway
Show threadLyle Solla-YatesApr 21, 2023
@darwinwoodka @awalkerinla most of the NYC region is incredibly car dependent because of decades of bad policies and infrastructure decisions. It’s a testament to how much policy and spending can work to shape behavior and the built environment
Show threadDarwin WoodkaApr 21, 2023
@Lyle @awalkerinla well maybe but an SUV is not a CAR
Show threadKevinApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla Uh-oh. The weight of EVs is going to be a bigger problem than I thought.
Show threadLyle Solla-YatesApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla “increased vertical load plus increased degradation leads to collapse”
Show threadMartin TuipApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla a 2007 escape weighs the same as a 1955 Chevy Bel Air and is 1000 lbs lighter than a similar year caddy or a 1975 chrysler new Yorker. Cars have always been heavy.
Show threadMarcin Juszkiewicz 🙃Apr 21, 2023

As car tow operator told me once: people are not aware how heavy their cars are.

It was after I met him first time with my Zafira. Which was 600 kg heavier than Citroen C3 I used before so he used other towing car.

@awalkerinla

Show threadEthan 🌒Apr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla damn, didn’t hear about this. wow.
Show threadThomas H Jones IIApr 21, 2023
@awalkerinla Even if they'd been small EVs, you'd have similar weight problems.
Show threadCheshireApr 22, 2023
@awalkerinla Maybe vehicle weight contributed, but per a Forbes article, "In 1975, the average weight of new cars was 4,060 pounds," and the average was at “4,044 pounds in 2017.” Then, according to a response on the Bartleby site (reliable?), “During the 1950's and 1960's the average weight of vehicles sold in the U.S. was well over 4,000 pounds.” So perhaps the other factors discussed in the article (such as age and west and tear) had a bigger role. 🤷‍♂️
Show threadmsgbiApr 22, 2023
@awalkerinla didn't think of that @Ginger149 @aloa5 @charles_ex porsche partei
Show threadrmigneronApr 22, 2023
@awalkerinla You mean a truck. SUV are not cars, but light trucks...