[sustran] Re: Give cyclist a safety wing

Rutul Joshi joshirutul at yahoo.co.in
Tue Aug 24 02:00:32 JST 2010


Hi,

This is interesting. But I have a slightly different take on this. I am 
not critiquing Chu Wa's design but making a general comment on the state of 
affairs in our cities. 

I am a new cyclist in Bristol (which UK's 'first cycling city' - I don't know 
what it means). Imitating the people around me, I have also started wearing 
high-visibility clothing/bands (and a helmet) - which I am told is for my own 
safety. I have always wondered as a cyclist that why do I need to wear things 
and shout that "I am here, please see me". What have I done wrong? I might be an 
outsider to the culture here but I am not comfortable with this whole idea of 
high-visible clothing/bands. Of course, they are no legal requirements to wear 
them. When I see lot of cyclists (including me) wearing them, I end 
up associating it with the identification marks that Jews were supposed to wear 
in the Nazi occupied countries during the second world war. I might be wrong in 
this association completely but the sad truth remains - it is the cyclists who 
end up wearing things in name of safety! 

Rutul





________________________________
From: CarlosfelipePardo <carlosfpardo at gmail.com>
Cc: Sustran-discuss List <Sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
Sent: Mon, 23 August, 2010 6:45:23 AM
Subject: [sustran] Re: Give cyclist a safety wing

  Hi,

This is very interesting! I am also wondering how much the "minimum" 
drag actually is, which I guess you'll know from your tests. But also, I 
think cyclists don't really need to clean the air as they anyway "do so" 
by riding the bicycle already... what I mean is that I think the concept 
of the wing should be symbolic (i.e. it doesn't really need to have 
filters etc but just remind people that bicycles don't have exhausts or 
emissions when riding). I say it because in your slides you seem to 
point towards car users being angry at cyclists for not paying road tax 
(which they do in virtually all countries anyway, despite the blatant 
ignorance of motorists), so possibly reminding them of the benefits that 
each cyclists gives to a city in terms of emissions not generated is 
most significant and should be applauded.

Best regards,

Carlos.

On 21/08/2010 05:47 p.m., chuwa wrote:
> 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 ChuWa,
>
> 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.
>> ChuWa
>> An urban cyclist.
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