11 ms·

> We can't easily pack humans more densely into trucks We basically can, with decent urban transit and rail services.

• sandworm101 4y ago
  How many pounds of people can fit in a bus? How many pounds of potatoes? People need vastly more room than produce.
  • dredmorbius 4y ago
    Maximum tractor-trailer weight in the US is 80,000 lb, with typical weight closer to 44,000 lb. Dry weight is about 32,000 lb, for a maximum payload of 48,000 lb. An articulated bus has a curb weight of about 35,000 lb and a capacity of up to 92 passengers. At 177 lb each, that's a gross weight of 51,284 lb. (net: 16,284 lb of passengers). I'd presume a potato's density is close to that of water. As such, capacity is actually mass rather than volume-constrained --- you'd be unable to fill a truck to its volumetric carrying capacity before exceeding gross vehicle weight limits. Many grocery products have much lower density: chips, bread, paper products, etc. I still tend to agree it makes more sense to move goods than people, but the differential may not be quite as great as you might think.
  • fransje26 4y ago
    Well, as this article is about the Netherlands, you can go and have a look there, at rush hour. Say, boarding a train from Almere to Amsterdam. And the answer is: a lot..