A misguided attempt to ‘green’ the Hoboken Police Department
I thought that Hoboken having police on horseback was silly, but this is by far the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen … at least in the area of policing a small city. Two cops put, put, putted their way like snails thru the crowd at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival on bulky, upright electric tricycles to the snickers of bystanders.
Being as bulky as they are makes them tough to maneuver thru a thick crowd. This was evident today as they tried to simply go one block and I was able to snap the above photo. What would happen if someone decided to grab a purse and run off. These guys would no doubt have to get off their trikes and chase them on foot.
I give the Hoboken Police Department kudos for their efforts in looking for a greener way of patrolling the streets. However, rumor has it that the two vehicles that the city obtained cost taxpayers over $10,000 … EACH. They could have easily gotten 40 ten-speed bicycles for the same amount of money.
Since they would not need anywhere near 40 of them, it would have been a far cheaper and—because bicycles are man-powered—a far greener solution. And since a bicycle is easier to navigate at faster speeds in crowded areas, they can be used to chase down criminals when the need arises.
If the cops simply don’t want to have to exert any energy, they could get electric scooters such as those from Zap Electric Cars. Sure they cost more than bicycles, but they’re almost as nimble, much faster. Plus they’re still a fraction of what was spent for this fiasco. Really, what were the police thinking? I wonder who in city hall knows who in the upright trike biz?
See Also:
Horses of Hoboken
Big Brown Adds a Little Green
Zap Electric Cars
