• where_am_i@sh.itjust.works
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    2 hours ago

    Lemmy, open the article. It’s 6k vehicles per year in a continent of half a billion people.

    It’s on the rise, as in before it was nobody, and now 0.1% of the farmers bought one. And a 100 lunatics.

    It’s still illegal to drive and park in most places due to size, so as a pesky city dweller, I probably still won’t get to see any.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    Maybe they should enact the keitruck law… No truck allowed unless it fits in a shipping container etc etc. I think it’s reasonable. Because if we’re not getting kei trucks here in the US, you big manufacturers don’t deserve to sell outside the US.

    • Lennny@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      With significantly fewer school shootings in Europe, kids need to learn fear from somewhere. Why not fear the yank tank?

  • witty_username@feddit.nl
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    9 hours ago

    Parking spaces in the Netherlands do not easily accommodate these child-killing machines. So, they often end up clumsily parked over multiple spaces or blocking sidewalks. I have taken to submitting complaints to my municipality every time I see this happen.
    It is not much but I am doing my little part. I did notice that one of these abominations has gone absent from my neighbourhood. I like to think my complaints have contributed to this

    • Caveman@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      They should fine them for not parking correctly. I’m also on the opinion that you should need an extra licence to drive something that big

    • Thorry84@feddit.nl
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      7 hours ago

      Have you gotten any traction on this with the police or municipality?

      I’ve seen a lot of these huge American trucks parked like assholes and I’m seeing more and more custom lifted trucks. The other day I was riding my bicycle from work and saw this huge custom lifted thing. It was as wide as a bus and generally enormous. It was going 60kph in a 30 zone. Then proceeded to jump the kerb, drive across the bicycle path and park on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant. Four douchebags in suits stepped out.

      I was shocked and didn’t really know what to do. I thought about taking a picture, but was worried such characters could be organized crime. I thought about calling the police, but frankly I don’t think they would take it seriously. So I just went home bummed out about the state of the world.

      • witty_username@feddit.nl
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        2 hours ago

        With the municipality I think I did. I use the relevant web portal to report the hindrances. I make sure to include photos.
        Never tried contacting the police directly

  • misk@sopuli.xyz
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    10 hours ago

    Those have to park somewhere and can’t do so legally due to size and permissible gross weight. I usually get out of my way to report incorrectly parked SUVs, BMWs, Audis and such (we have a nice app from an indie dev for that in Poland). I’ve been averaging a dozen or so towed or wheel locked cars per week based on responses from city guard. I’ll keep on doing this until those fuckers learn to stay away from our cities.

      • misk@sopuli.xyz
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        5 hours ago

        We have guys like that too, some even document their work on YouTube and gave me much courage and inspiration. You need to reach critical mass where people don’t park badly because other people don’t do it either.

      • misk@sopuli.xyz
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        8 hours ago

        Depends entirely on willingness to cooperate so it differs from place to place. My city guard will not fine driver unless they come and confirm offence in person but I’m sending so many reports that I have a fairly high success rate. I also asked nicely to respond to my emails with separate case numbers for each offence so that I can track them.

    • BruceTwarzen
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      5 hours ago

      It used to be that you would see one every now and then, inclusive the ridiculous red blinkers, and they you would do your civil duty and point at it and laugh, because you knew he payed a lot of money to get a shitty car imported. Now, just like McDonald’s, they are everywhere. Please america, make something that doesn’t suck ass, since people have to adopt everything from over there.

  • brewery@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    Been seeing these more and more common in London, along with most people buying massive cars generally. I just don’t get it. They really struggle with the tight roads, parked cars, small lanes, car parks etc. Its embarrassing to watch frankly!

        • TheEmpireStrikesDak@thelemmy.club
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          9 hours ago

          Every time I walk through that car park, half the vehicles are those awful 4x4s. And I always think how nice it would be if all that tarmac was replaced with grass and wildflower beds and footpaths and cycle paths and bike stands and trees. But instead it’s just a rogue’s gallery of these monstrosities.

          I wish there was some sort of e-cargo bike taxi service or something so that the “but how will I carry my shopping home” crowd don’t have an excuse.

          • teft@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            I wish there was some sort of e-cargo bike taxi service or something so that the “but how will I carry my shopping home” crowd don’t have an excuse.

            Time to bring back tuktuks.

          • chingadera@lemmy.world
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            9 hours ago

            Unfortunately they won’t need one, it’s usually just a dick measuring contest on how absurd the vehicle is vs how much they paid for it. It’s more of an education/social problem, unfortunately.

    • Baggins@piefed.social
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      10 hours ago

      Meet my sister in law. Hardly goes anywhere as she can’t park it. Doesn’t visit my wife anymore as she says out car park is too small. Even though workmen and delivery vans get in and out OK. She had a Peugeot 208 which she could park anywhere, but ‘upgraded’ to a 3008 to fit in with her posh friends. She’s retired. And lives in Hertford UK. Not known for it’s wide sweeping vistas. FFS.

  • BluesF@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    There’s one of these pricks nearby my house. We have these tiny narrow roads and this prick is taking up 30% of it with their giant truck. Why? I have never seen them put anything in it. Right now the through road is blocked and you have to turn around awkwardly… Bet they regret that thing now.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Follow the lead of activists in Britain. Flatten the tires by pressing on the valve stem. No property damage to people that might have been out of options, and sends a clear message that large vehicles aren’t welcome

      • Destide@feddit.uk
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        11 hours ago

        Pressing on the valve stem? Just put a lentil in one and replace or use a valve core tool to take the valve core out

          • mipadaitu@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            It takes less time to remove a valve stem then it does to sit there and let the air out.

            Removing the valve stem is not permanent damage either as long as they don’t let the truck sit on a flat for a long time.

  • Technus@lemmy.zip
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    11 hours ago

    So it’s not an uniquely American problem after all. Fuckers everywhere want bigger and bigger cars.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      It’s not just people wanting bigger vehicles. It’s an intentional move by vehicle manufacturers to push light trucks, which have less strict safety and emissions standards, leading to higher profit margins.

  • undefined@links.hackliberty.org
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    11 hours ago

    As an American I find the thumbnail hilarious. Not that’s it’s not a “monster” pickup truck but that it is the tiniest little truck you’ll find on much of our roadways.

    Edit: Oh noes I got downvoted 🙄

    • yggdar@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted. It is hilarious in a black humor way. For us Europeans that’s a giant monster, because it is, while a lot of Americans would consider it a little baby truck because they are so brainwashed.

      • doingthestuff@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        In my area there are tons of bigger trucks. Delivery box vans, dump trucks hauling dirt or gravel, garbage trucks, school buses, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, box trucks with 8 meter boxes (don’t need special license to drive). Not to mention full 18 wheel semi trucks that are everywhere and especially our highways. Almost none of our trucks, are cabovers, they have huge hoods on them.

        Those pickup trucks really are usually the smallest trucks we see, and when you’re in one you still feel like you’re in a smaller vehicle compared to a lot of the other vehicles on our roads. It’s not brainwashed when it’s observable. I’ve lived in Europe the US and the roads are very different experiences.

        • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          It’s perfectly ok that some vehicles are bigger than yours. You aren’t small and weak just because your car is a practical size. I have a “right sized” car and it saves a ton of money on gas, truck nuts, “I did that” stickers and bud light.

    • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
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      11 hours ago

      Agreed lol.

      Its not literally the smallest pickup truck on American roads, a few people still have older, smaller models from the 80s or whatever…

      …but far larger trucks than in this image are absolutely everywhere.

      And I say this as someone who used to drive a hatchback and routinely laugh at all the moron truck drivers who spend an hour trying to figure out where to park their F350 duallies in a dense downtown part of American city, baffled by the idea that the urban core doesn’t have Walmart sized parking lots every block.

      These literal tank sized trucks are the smallest modern variants of American trucks. The larger ones are incredibly common and even larger than these.

      Here’s a quick example:

      The white truck in this image is roughly the same size as the trucks in the tank/truck comparison and the article’s image, the black truck behind it is closer to what more and more Americans drive, and many drive ones that are even larger than that.

    • nul9o9@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      It’s pretty big in Europes tight streets, they have tiny cars for a reason. I have no idea why someone would try to drive that truck over there.