[sustran] Re: Give cyclist a safety wing

[chuwa]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for being the first to response. Your question give me the opportunity to 
elaborate on the idea:

How much drag is there on the cyclist?
- The air drag of the wing for slower cyclist is minimum. The wing is not 
suitable for fast roadies. It is intended to make "Potential" cyclists to be 
more comfortable on the road, knowing that they are now more visible to other 
car drivers.

There is less space for others and overtaking by other cyclists becomes
more hazardous?
- The size of the wing as presented can be adjusted to make it less obtrusive. 
The structure of the wing is soft and flexible. When it is in contact with a by 
passing cyclist or car, it should just give way a glides smoothly.

Road tax when it exists can never pay for the cost of roads (construction 
and maintenance ) but it is a deep believe for many drivers. 
The intention of the air-filter is to bring the issue of 
car-induced-air-pollution up for public discussion - hopefully it bring out 
other car-induced-social burden along the way.

I will be testing out prototypes soon. If interested I will share the finding 
here.

Best regards,

Chuwa




________________________________
From: Ian Perry <ianenvironmental at googlemail.com>
Cc: Sustran-discuss List <Sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
Sent: Sat, August 21, 2010 9:12:24 PM
Subject: [sustran] Re: Give cyclist a safety wing

Hi Chu Wa,

This is an interesting idea.  Has this been tested in windy conditions and
how much drag is there on the cyclist?  I'd be worried about being blown
backwards in strong winds.  In the event of a strong gust of crosswind, what
happens to the cyclist, and any other cyclist alongside them?  Does the
"Cyclist Wing" make it more difficult for other cyclists to use the road -
as there is less space for others and overtaking by other cyclists becomes
more hazardous?

There are similar products already such as "safety" flags:
http://americansafetyflag.com/products-page/?category=20&product_id=36


Cyclists on the street space that motorists believe is theirs do need to
take ownership of a larger area than many do to be safe.  I think it is
possible that people who are afraid to use a bicycle on the road would feel
more comfortable on a larger cargo tricycle.

n the UK, most motorists believe that they have a right to use the road
because the have paid "Road Tax".  I have had a car for 20 years, but I have
never paid "Road Tax".  I'm not illegal, Winston Churchill abolished "Road
Tax" in the UK in 1937 - because the tax was not making enough to cover the
cost of roads.  It might be worth checking if "Road Tax" really exists in
your country.  In the UK we have Vehicle Excise Duty, not Road Tax.
<http://americansafetyflag.com/products-page/?category=20&product_id=36>

As for the air filter - does a cyclist really want to collect and take home
the pollution of others?

Ian


On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 6:21 PM, chuwa <chuwasg at yahoo.com> wrote:

> As an entry for the Seoul Cycle Design competition. The Cyclist Cyclist
> Wing is
> short-listed for the 2nd round.
>
> Summary of the concept:
> Cyclist safety is one of the main concern that stop potential cyclist to
> choose
> bicycle as a mode of transportation.
> Many drivers, and some cyclist, believe that cyclist enjoy the road at the
> expenses of road tax paying car-owners.
> Low visibility is associated with poor safety of cyclist.  Since cyclist is
> relatively small, slow and near invisible to the drivers.
> The “Cyclist Wing” enhance cyclist visibility and safety on the road. From
> the
> driver’s perspective, the “Wing” makes cyclist becomes 300% more visible,
> and
> therefore easier to avoid.
> “Safety by number” is an important factor supported by a large body of
> research
> finding. In short, More cyclist = more safety for cyclist .
> The “Wing” makes the visual population of cyclist in any city increased to
> 300%
> with the same number of cyclists, causing driver to drive more carefully.
> The Cyclist wing is with a built-in air filter. With the air-cleaning
> function
> of the “Wing”, cyclists make a tangible contribution to the environment, at
> the
> same time return the right-of-way to cyclist.
> it is also a subtle reminder of the harmful pollution from cars.
> Do you think the “Cyclist Wing” can help to tilt the favor towards cyclists
> and
> turn more potential cyclist into real cyclist.
> Chu Wa
> An urban cyclist.
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