A selection of moments showing how even in Cambridge, there are no truly car-free spaces. If it fits on it, they will drive on it.
Alt text for above:
Pic 1, A full sized garbage truck seen from rear occupies entire width of a trail. People stand on the grass verge looking on.
Pic 2, Seen from rear, a van stops alongside a dropoff box of some sort. Someone walking two dogs approaches on the trail the van is stopped on.
Pic 3, Seen from side from within a park, a Cambridge Animal Control and Rescue van drives on a shared-use path.
By the way, there's certainly real reasons that access by full-sized motor vehicles may be needed. And as in all things, a precise definition of "need" is perhaps badly needed.
@bikepedantic We really, really need to stock smaller service and emergency vehicles. We don't need full-sized fire trucks or sanitation vehicles going down these places. (Ambulances, OK, fine, those have minimum internal space requirements but not the rest)
Seeing the service vehicles in France was eye-opening. You really can do an awful lot without being stupidly huge.
@wordshaper and with so much cash out there to electrify fleets, now now now is the time to redefine the fleet mix
@bikepedantic Yes! Tiny trucks for so many things. Fix the fleet, and do it now. (Little electric delivery vehicles are awesome too, but that's a different conversation)