V – Vehicles

Welcome to Fiction Can Be Fun, a blog which has a mix of posts with thoughts on writing, tips and tricks, and the occasional stories. Here at FCBF, we’re long time supporters of the A-to-Z Challenge. It’s a couple of years since I’ve done the challenge myself, for a couple of reasons, but this year I thought I would have ago at a fictitious travelogue. Buckle up as we explore the 50:50 Earth…

One of the great dichotomies of the 50:50 Earth is that travel is either fast or slow. Shanks pony or a bicycle is the norm for most local travel, and a pod or some form of mass transit for a little further afield, but still basically in your locale.  But if you want to go any significant distance you have two basic choices: a relatively slow airship or a relatively fast pneumatic train. 

With the removal of many roads and railways, and with the reduction in jet capacity, the traveller must either sit back and watch the terrain pass by beneath a modern airship or descend hundreds of metres underground to access the network of high-speed trains that travel between the major urban centres quickly, and efficiently, if a little claustrophobically.

© David Jesson, 2024

6 thoughts on “V – Vehicles”

  1. What a shame that trains as we knew them ‘bought the farm’. I think train travel is my favourite mode, apart for my own car of course. I think my choice of airship or fast underground train would depend entirely on how much time I had…and cost.

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  2. Trains ? My favourite too, almost distant memory.

    Road Ahead Closed, ongoing and brilliant engineering, bringing us properr broadband at last,

    TTA – Maybe thumb a lift from one of the F 35s swooping overhead ?

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  3. I like the idea of both these forms of transport. I feel that the direction of electric cars is wrong – they are trying to equal the size and performance of current monstrosities – why not have very small (slower) electric cars in town and maybe retain some petrol vehicles for outside towns. Use a hire model like scooters with self-driving cars going back to base at night and delivering themselves to customers in the morning…

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    1. Exactly! The amount of time cars spent parked on the drive or where-ever is absolutely ridiculous. Better/safer/more reliable public transport + car sharing + more walking + fewer journeys etc makes for a better environment and better communities. The trick is getting car manufacturers to change their thinking and become car maintainers…

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