This Tiny Dutch Vehicle for People With Disabilities is Taking Off
upstart writes:
The Netherlands is known internationally for its bicycle culture. Now it's also home to another, more broadly accessible form of transportation: the Canta.
For people with disabilities in the country, the compact four-wheeled, two-seat vehicle has become the primary form of micromobility-a term encompassing a range of small, lightweight vehicles typically operating at around 15 miles per hour. The Canta looks a bit like a little Fiat or Mini and has all the main features of a car: engine, drivetrain, roof, windows, and doors. But it is an especially compact one: it is a microcar that measures just over three feet wide, making it narrow enough to be driven in the country's wider bike lanes while also being able to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
Designed specifically for people with disabilities, the Canta was created in 1995 by a small Dutch vehicle manufacturer called Waaijenberg Mobility. It operates at speeds typically below 45 kilometers (27.9 miles) per hour and is not allowed on major motorways.
[...] "When we look at non-cars, a vast space of opportunity for mobility solutions becomes possible," says Horace Dediu, an expert on the future of micromobility. "This means not just more efficient and less demanding alternatives for short trips, but also vehicles for those who are too young, too old, or disabled."
Dediu notes that "8 billion people need mobility. Only 1 billion currently can drive." Everyone, he says, "will be served by micromobility."
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