Gocars - smart cars popular in Barcelona, Lisbon, Miami, San Fransisco
Imagine the banana-yellow 49cc love-child of Herbie (the Love Bug), children's TV favourite Brum, and a golf buggy; add a dash of élan, and you have a GoCar : the world's first computer-guided storytelling car. Following great success in San Diego, San Francisco and Miami (Time Magazine called it "the coolest invention of the year"), they can now be found in Valencia, Barcelona and Lisbon. Each car seats two people (minimum driving age is 21) and reaches 60 kmph (35 mph). All have GPS routes for you to follow; it's also perfectly OK to go "off-piste". Prices are a very reasonable 35€ (per car) for the first hour, 20€ to 25€ for subsequent hours, or 99€ for the day, including fuel and insurance.
http://www.gocartours.es/
Segway
The Segway looks like a sawn-off scooter on oversized wheels. Created in 2001 by maverick American inventor Dean Kamen (said to be the Willy Wonka of the mobility world), this nippy device is perfect for exploring foreign streets whilst avoiding sore feet. Grasping the basics takes around 10 minutes, but, unless seriously uncoordinated, staying upright isn't too tricky. The controls are simple: lean forward to go forward, back to go back, and twist the steering grip to go right or left.
http://www.segwayofontario.com/images/segway%20tours%2004.JPG
Poweriser - Jump up to 6 feet in the air!
This "jumping boots" became very popular a half year ago. With them you can run up to 9 feet and jump up to 6 feet in the air.
check the video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZrKIuJaqTM
Other...
In the net you can find a lot of pictures of unusual forms of transport. As you can see, still popular is horse riding - it's good for businessman who think highly of living in harmony with nature.
http://www.marcofolio.net/imagedump/unusual_transportation_50_images.html
For those of you who want connect sport with everyday concerns like shooping, there is another new way of transport. How we can called it? shooping-bike?
http://www.marcofolio.net/imagedump/unusual_transportation_50_images.htmlAnother funny pictures of unusual forms of transport you can find there http://www.marcofolio.net/imagedump/unusual_transportation_50_images.html
Check it and if something catch your attention, write few sentences including what that was and what you think about it.
It's really hard to imagine such "vehicles" in the Polish streets especially when we remember about their bad condition ;) I've seen Segways in some shopping centres in Warsaw but they were used rather to advertise something ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that using "jumping boots" may be the most funny experience but it can be also dangerous when someone doesn't remember about safety. But I would like to try it anyway :)
I agree with Monika it is hard to see such interesting vehicles on Polish roads. There are no Gocars and Segways (probably still to expensive), no horses in cities... Only "normal" cars, buses, sometimes bikes or motorcycles... Maybe it is, becouse we are accustomed to our means of transport? For people from Western Europe sight of Fiat 126p or 10 young persons in old VW Golf would be probably as shocking as sight of businessman on horse for us...
ReplyDeleteYes, those means of transport are really unusual. I think that the most funny of them is the last one - mix of bike and trolley. And how comfortable could it be - more than eco-bag!
ReplyDeleteBy the way - once I watched on TV some report about racing on such unusual vehicles - they were even more strange than those. I remember that some people were racing on... attuned lavatory seats!
Those unusual forms of transport are really fascinating, but for me the most funny is the picture from the side: http://www.marcofolio.net/imagedump/unusual_transportation_50_images.html, which presents a man who is travelling in a hammock suspended on a lorry. Of course it isn't the way of travelling for everybody, but it makes an impression and for sure it's an ingenious idea.
ReplyDeleteI think that segway is future polish roads. It can be solution for polish jam in Warsaw. But in my opion good idea is connect shooping with bike. Gocars are similar to polish car called Smart. Smarts are some like that gocars but are the more expensive.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t known that there are so many different means of transport and mixes of usual ones in the world. For me, the funniest is the shopping-bike but sometimes it could be very useful. I don’t like horse riding but I am to try Gocars. In my opinion, there will be many of this kind of transport in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think we will have more unusual means of transport in future too, but we needs special paths for them. I can't imagine for eg. Segways on our roads and pavements - it's too dangerous in our country. It's sad, but lot of people can't use safety bicycles...
ReplyDeleteI have seen an advertisement of "Jumping boots" - they are amazing and fun. Good idea for students, who must transport quickly from one building to another during Warsaw:)
I think that the best solution for Polish people would be a shopping-bike which would be very useful. It probably would help to eliminate traffic jams on Friday's evenings when most of us do the shopping in big shopping centres. Additionally it protects environment from pollution and keeps your body in good shape. Of course it would be perfect probably only in good weather conditions.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah!
ReplyDelete"Shopping bike" is something I really need to make one of my obligation - weekly shopping - more interesting!
I love my bike:)
I have to think about a little upgrade;)
Maybe something like a shopping basket is a good idea? ;)
It's not taht bad with our unusual forms of transport...i saw people going by this segway, not on the road but on the pavement or in the parks-it's becoming more and more popular in Poland. Recently i've seen a quad going by the street....and sometimes police officers are riding on the horse.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this unusual forms of transport are realy interesting but I also thing that they wouldn't surrvive on our "good condition" roads...but I must to say that for me horse is a excelent idea for transport. For this 'vehicles' there is also problem of our climate- I can't imagine to drive a gocar or segway when the weather is like during last weeks or worst...
ReplyDeletethere are more unusual means of transport, but none of them didn't impress me as well as I want. Segway is a funny technological development, and some time ago I saw one in Krakow - it's really cool to see person who use it. But another means of transport are rather boring for me - there are a lot more exciting, like elephant's taxi in India.
ReplyDeleteThe horses have appeard in Warsaw a few years ago with the police. But I haven't something against horses will be new ecological form of transport. Specially in the Old Town, this solution will may be very interesting. But it will be only horses, no cars. I think the Old Town will have unique atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteRiding a horse in the city? It`s a bad idea.. Think of the quantity of excrements which would appear in the streets.. Gocars are better for your fun when you want to rest from people and life in the city and you go samowhere in the country, than using it everyday.. It`s simply uncomfortable for farther time.. Segways? I saw some of them in rest towns.. Maybe it`s a way to prevent the traffic-jams..
ReplyDeletefrom these forms of transport I like the most the gocars. they seem to be a great way of visiting the cities. easy to park even in a big traffic jam, faster than bicycles, only the price in my opinion is a bit too high. for such money you could rent a regular car.
ReplyDeleteand about the horses: great fun for me but for sure not in the city centre, I would be afraid if anything won't scare the animal, the accident is quit possible..
I think that in Poland every of these unusuals means of transport need to have separated road to be really useful, comfortable and safe.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion horse riding is not such a bad idea in modern cities. For example in London there are special roads for horses next to roads for cars and bicycles. System works there so why not copy it to other metropolitan areas?
ReplyDeleteI am a horse rider and can't quite imagine making a city like Warsaw suitable for riding a horse. It would be too dangerous no matter what would have been done. In my opinion, sagways could be a solution to traffic jams - they could be used on cycle paths, however they are still to expensive for people in Poland.
ReplyDeletePefsonality I don't see this kind of unusual for of transport. The best is men who goes for shoppieng with pram. But I think that it isn't good when he will be in the shop. He must leave it befor he go to shop, so I think it is impractical...
ReplyDeleteAs for me the most interesting kind of transport is gocar. It should be fast and comfortable so I hope that we will have similar kind of transport in Poland in future. By the way I think that we suffer from the small amount of safe and interesting bicycle tracks in Warsow. Maybe it's not unusual kind of transport but I can't imagine that I'm going to university for example by horse.
ReplyDeleteI think that shoping-bike will be good for Boxing Day:-).I want to use jumbing-boots.In me opinion this means of transport could make fun.Something which catch my attention is hovercraft.This is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt."Somebody wanna know more?JUst look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovercraft.
ReplyDeleteIn my point of view the all new vehicles like segway, gocars, poweriser is usless. The best forms of transport are all old things like normal car, bike, motobike and eventuakly horse riding. Usually modern ideas are expensive and we have not to much service points near us when something was damaged.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very interesting idea. Maybe cause this vehicles our environement will be more clear. But on the other hand, I don't imagine this vehicles on our streets... It causes more accidents, I think.
ReplyDeleteAll the presented modes are very interesting. I most liked the bike with a basket for shopping, is a very interesting solution. Looks interesting as a man on horseback dressed in suits. I'm curious where he parked?
ReplyDeleteWhat is funny and unusual for some people for others looks ordinary. We are looking for the easiest ways of transport especially in big cities. Gocars, segway or a man on a horse is nothing special. in my opinion jumping boots is a good idea but I haven't tried it yet.Maybe I will buy a shopping-bike.I will shock my neighbours.
ReplyDelete