Hi all Am 09.02.2021 um 21:17 schrieb Andy Farnell:
At speeds below about 25mph the noise from tyre "squirm" (which is actually the dominant sound from modern vehicles) does not happen. Above 10mph a car can be lethal. So from 10mph to 25mph, the main range of speeds for manoeuvring in city centres, eV's make no sound but can kill.
I do not agree to this theory of "more noise" = "more security". People get used to it and expect the noise and when then a silent vehicle comes from behind they overlook / overhear it since they do not look anymore at all! Result: bicyle riders are constantly overlooked and the number of accidents between pedestrians and cyclers increase. So does the number of accidents between riders and car drivers too, because they expect noise from other vehicles and additionally blow their ears with loud music from the radio. Before we discuss methods for sound design on streets we need a political decission and agreement to lower the sound and reeducate the people to use their eyes again. Focussing and blind persons, noisy cars were never a help according to statistical studies. The protection of pedestrians by loudness of vehicles is a big fairy tale because it estimates that most crashes with cars are caused by the victim because it did not pay attention. But research shows that there is only one method to really lower the danger of hitting a (blind) person: Lower the speed of the cars! And: Lower the noise in general on the streets. Outside of the cities accidents with bicyle riders are signficantly more seldom since the pedestrians even recognize the approaching rider because of the wheel sound. At least if they behave in a natural way and do not cover their ears with loud music headphones but behave as it worked for 5 Mio years of man kind: listen to possible dangers when beeing outside your home. Reality is different indeed: People have sound from everywhere, have Iphone and Deezer and thus kill their ears and make them non sensitive anymore and expect the other ones to solve this issue. Some even overhear loud bells from the bike today and in the citys loud engines and unnaturally pimped exhaust systems help to cover any sound of a bicyle rider. The more one class of people increases its loudness, the more another group will suffer. Permanent daylight of the car light shows a similar effect: People get used to it and expect it, this overlooking the cycle riders with their poor tiny lights. The same issue is with smartphone accidents: For some reason people do not care anymore and do not watch out for others but run on the streets directly into vehicles of fall into holes they havn't seen. This is the wrong direction. We need LESS noise and not MORE. Imagine hundrets of EVs driving throug the streets and making noise: Irratical! We use them to lower noise.
