[Submitted] Bigger Cars not Better?

[Yuts Knenxland]

Hiya, first time trying out writing one of these, I hope I didn't do anything wrong (°▽°)/

My issue is about cars being built bigger and causing problems with parking. The closest I found relating to this was... #1368 parking hell and #290 Wheels of misfortune.

If it's too similar to something I missed, or you have any other feedback, please comment, I'll be happy to hear it

Validity: Nations with Cars

Description: While parking your car at your office, you notice an empty parking space. Looking closer, you realise that there are two large, shiny new cars that encroach into the lot from both sides, making it impossible to park in.

Option 1: As you twiddle your thumbs and look for another lot, @@RANDOMNAME@@, your elderly minister of transport drives up to you and sighs heavily.
"Back in my day, cars were small and nimble. These new cars just keep getting bigger and bigger, our parking lots simply cannot house them. We should impose limits on how large a car can be, to stop these parking hogs"

Effect: [Automobile Companies have turned to building toy cars to comply with size regulations]

Option 2: "Whoa there" says the CEO of Bigmobiles inc, @@RANDOMNAME@@, stepping out of one of the big shiny cars. "Our consumers want bigger, faster, shinier cars with 10 seats and plenty of legroom. Our Bigwheels S100 series merely caters to their demand. How about you back off and let the free market handle this? I'll be willing to even gift you one of them... To let you understand the comfort of bigger cars"

Effect: [The average car has 8 wheels and 20 seats]

Option 3: "The problem aint the cars, it's that the lots are too small" Snarls @@RANDOMNAME@@, the local billionaire tycoon, emerging from the second big car. "These parking lots are the same size that they were 10 years ago, and the peasants clearly don't have money to upgrade them. Throw them some subsidies to expand their carparks and this problem will be solved"

Effect: [Planes have been seen parking in car lots]

Option 4: "Yeah, for a few months until the next bigengin.. bigscreen... whatitscalled comes out" Says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your minister of green solutions, who rode to work. "Just ban all cars and this won't be happening again. Ever"

Effect: [Bicycles lots have taken over car lots]

Validity: Nations with Cars

Description: It is time for your annual meeting with the leaders of the car industry, this year, they claim to have plans to revolutionise transport as you know it. Expecting something big, you take a deep breath and walk into the meeting room.

Option 1: "Welcome @@LEADER@@, we are most honoured that you have come." Says the @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of Haikucars. "Today, all of us would like to unveil the future of our profits, I mean, transportation. Presenting the Megacar 5000! 5 seats in the first, 7 seats in the back row, 5 meters of boot. It's a bit wide, and takes up a lane and a half, but I'm sure it'll work out. All we need is your approval for this to hit the roads. We could even gift you one of these to let you realise how useful it is..."

Effect: [The number of road hogs are on the rise]

Option 2: Your minister of transportation @@RANDOMNAME@@ looks at you in disbelief. "Today it's a lane and a half, tomorrow it's two. The current car sizes have been getting bigger each year, and I can't even open my door properly while parking. This trend needs to be stopped! Regulate car sizes right here and now. One lane for one car, fair's fair!"

Effect: [Automobile Companies have turned to building toy cars to comply with size regulations]

Option 3: "Don't listen to that old fart." says @@RANDOMNAME@@, the director of the road safety department. "The problem isn't with the cars, it's with the roads. Our roads have remained the same size for close to a decade. We need a complete overhaul of our roads, only then can we accommodate the future designs of cars."

Effect: [The nation's roads are bigger than airport runways]

Option 4: "If you ask me, this all sounds like a load of unnecessary trouble." Says the janitor from the corner of the room, disguised as a potted plant. "Just ban all cars and this problem will disappear. Forever."

Effect: [Posters claiming 4 wheels bad, two wheels good have sprung up as the nation prepares for a total car ban]

Description: During the annual Daguo Auto show, the national carmaker there, Daguo cars, showcased what they called the luxury car of the future, with bigger engines, bigger wheels and of course, more legroom. Incidentally, you have scheduled your annual transportation meeting to be held this week. Industry leaders and regulators have gathered at your office to give their opinion on the luxury car of the future.

OPTION 1

"Greetings @@LEADER@@" Says @@RANDOMNAME@@, Head of the Daguo cars branch in @@NAME@@. "I trust you've seen all the discussion our car of the future has been causing on social media. Why, it has more likes than your latest @@ANIMAL@@ post. Let me cut to the chase. The cars are a bit wide, and takes up a lane and a half in this great country, but I'm sure it'll work out. All we need is your approval for this to hit the roads. We could even gift you one of these to let you realise how useful it is..."

Effect: Road Hogs that drive the Futurecar 5000 claim to be the future

OPTION 2

"Don't listen to that lunatic" Pleads @@RANDOMNAME@@, your minister of transportation. "Think about what he's not telling you! Bigger things require a ton more space, especially legroom! At the end of the day, what we have is a monstrosity not only a little wide! Look at these specifications, this car of the future close to twice our current road lanes. It may fit on Daguo's roads, but not ours. In fact, stop the trend of cars becoming bigger and regulate car sizes today. We may be sacrificing some comfort, but we'll stop a traffic nightmare in future!"

Effect: Cars are nasty, cramped and small

OPTION 3

"My Daguo rivals, I dislike them intensely, But they have a point" Says @@RANDOMNAME@@, CEO of @@NAME@@cars, your national carmaker with a dubious sales record. "The profit is good, Technology improves too, Everyone in this country benefits. However, instead of granting the rights to all the companies, you should allow only us to manufacture @@NAME@@'s cars of the future! We'll even take it slow, and won't even expand our car sizes to avoid having a traffic nightmare. Just look at these blueprints we drew up of our version of the car of the future!" He enthusiastically shows you a few blueprints of what looks like an old car from several years ago.

Effect: The car of the future is stuck in the past

OPTION 4

"Look here, there's a reason why it's the called the car of the future." @@RANDOMNAME@@ the local business leader remarks while looking in disgust at the blueprints. "The solution lies not in the past, but in the future. Think ahead and widen the road lanes! You'll be helping the future of car designs by providing the necessary infrastructure. Our roads haven't been touched in several decades anyway. It's the perfect time for an overhaul. Some things will have to go to make way for the roads, but that's a small price to pay for the future." @@HE@@ shrugs nonchalantly

Effect: Thousands have been evicted from their homes as roads become the size of airport runways

OPTION 5

"If you ask me, this all sounds like a load of unnecessary trouble." Says the janitor from the corner of the room, disguised as a potted plant. "Just ban all cars and this problem will disappear. Our nation will be even cleaner as a everyone shifts to bicycles."

Effect: Posters claiming 4 wheels bad, two wheels good have sprung up as the nation prepares for a total car ban

Edit: Submitted, thank you everyone for guiding me through writing my first issue!

[Candensia]

Hello, welcome to Got Issues. I've somehow misplaced the new writer introductory speech — which is tragic — but I can improvise. For a first swing, this isn't bad at all.

To me, the biggest problem this draft faces is that it feels like a minor annoyance, not a demanding national issue. Issues should present an interesting or urgent situation, or craft a scenario where it makes sense to involve @@LEADER@@.

What sort of national problems might bulkier cars present to @@NAME@@, that *also* can't be rectified by any city council armed with paint or a few traffic cops?

When drafting, I sometimes like to compare my topic and intro to those of published issues. I try to decide which situation is more important, and must be addressed first. It doesn't work in every single case, but if it's consistently easier to select the published issue, then my draft may not be urgent enough.

[Yuts Knenxland]

Hello, welcome to Got Issues. I've somehow misplaced the new writer introductory speech — which is tragic — but I can improvise. For a first swing, this isn't bad at all.

To me, the biggest problem this draft faces is that it feels like a minor annoyance, not a demanding national issue. Issues should present an interesting or urgent situation, or craft a scenario where it makes sense to involve @@LEADER@@.

What sort of national problems might bulkier cars present to @@NAME@@, that *also* can't be rectified by any city council armed with paint or a few traffic cops?

When drafting, I sometimes like to compare my topic and intro to those of published issues. I try to decide which situation is more important, and must be addressed first. It doesn't work in every single case, but if it's consistently easier to select the published issue, then my draft may not be urgent enough.

Heya, thank you for your kind words and warm welcome.

Your advice was very helpful. I pondered over it for quite a while before changing the scenario, though there aren't too much changes. It's mostly an expansion from parking to roads, so that it makes sense to include @@LEADER@@ for a bigger discussion.

I would appreciate it if you could look through the revised draft and give more comments. Thank you~

[Verdant Haven]

Something like regulating lane size on a national scale is definitely a bit more reasonable for Leader's involvement - at least for those roads that are more likely to be influenced by national regulatory authorities (things like Interstates in the US, Motorways in the UK, or Alphanumeric National Highways in Australia if I'm getting that right). What the new draft feels like it needs to me is justification. What perceived problem is the industry rep claiming to solve? Why is a 12-seat passenger car the future of transport? Where does the demand for such a monstrosity come from? Clever use of the Haiku reference, but what are they solving by offering a trunk/boot the size of an above-ground pool (5m is twice the length of the longest pick-up truck bed currently on the road and would easily hold many other entire cars)? They need to explain the need so the player has a reason to consider their position.

Would it work for your needs if this was more like cabinet discussions after a trade-show presentation made a splash in the news, or something along those lines? Something to get the idea of freeway lane size on the docket without necessarily getting into a direct pitch for a specific vehicle?

In terms of the potential responses, consider the trade-offs that would be necessary to make various solutions work - not just in the effect lines (though that's obviously critical), but as part of the "pitch" from each presenter as well. If you're making the roads wider, are you going to need to use eminent domain to seize land and expand highways? If you're just letting people take as much space as they want on current roads, is that going to lead to massive traffic back-ups because throughput is so limited? If you're reducing the allowable size of vehicles, is that going to impact things like shipping logistics and economic output? Look at including some discussion of the trade-offs in the arguments themselves, so players are given a hint of what effects might happen, and can decide if those effects are a "fair trade" in their minds.

[Yuts Knenxland]

Thank you Verdant for the insightful comments. I'm starting to really see the complexities behind issue writing now.
While working through the evolution of the draft, I have gained many new revelations from the comments given, and I feel quite amazed that issue writing would be such an experience.

I took the comments into account, and realised that the previous draft did have a lot of shortcomings.
I have since edited the third draft out to make it more feasible and realistic.

I would appreciate more comments on this, thank you!

[Yuts Knenxland]

Alright, edited a bit more~
Would appreciate some comments on this

[Panagouge]

The option of banning cars may constitute too much overlap, seeing as multiple issues do It may not pass scrutiny.

I do have a weird for another option. Some Dr.Who-esque character could pop up and offer their This-Isn't-The-Tardis technology. This will allow for regular-sized cars with all the space you need.

[Random Country 453632]

The option of banning cars may constitute too much overlap, seeing as multiple issues do It may not pass scrutiny.

I do have a weird for another option. Some Dr.Who-esque character could pop up and offer their This-Isn't-The-Tardis technology. This will allow for regular-sized cars with all the space you need.

I don't know, seems too futuristic to me. I'd err on the side of Late 2023 tech than early 2040

[Yuts Knenxland]

Hmm yeah. While I think that might add a bit of a fun aspect, it doesn't quite fit for what I'm thinking of~
Appreciate the suggestion though!

[Outer Sparta]

Another bit of advice: work on your formatting, it's hard to keep track of how many options there are in the current state.

[Yuts Knenxland]

Right, edited it a bit to make it clearer~
Thanks for the feedback!