A-level project help

[Jurgen_Klopp]

For a level product design I’m looking at producing a bike indicator or bike safety aid for a commuter. To help grasp the key questions I have some questions that would be really helpful for you to answer. Therefore by creating a range I know if this product or ideas are viable. Thanks for the help, Freddy.

What problems do you face as a current cyclist, which is the most significant and why?

Do you believe indicating is an issue that needs to be addressed, if so, why, in terms of the problems. How do you believe they can be eradicated?

Do you face any issues with bike lights that could be improved?

Do you believe an electric bike light is better than a battery powered bike light? What makes you think this?

Do you find cycling as a struggle for a commuter? What makes you believe this?

How much do you believe as a commuter, you should pay for a bike indicator? How much for an advanced cyclist? How much for a beginner?

Do you find getting through stand –still traffic is a problem? Is this because of, confidence or genuine unsafety? How much does this disrupt your timings of cycling to work or is it mainly cycle paths?

[gaz]

Welcome to the forum.

What problems do you face as a current cyclist, which is the most significant and why?

Poor driving. Because the UK's built road environment is unforgiving of people's mistakes. People in private motor vehicles are prioritised at the expense of the most vulnerable. Enforcement of traffic law in the urban and rural environment is all but non-existent.

Do you believe indicating is an issue that needs to be addressed, if so, why, in terms of the problems. How do you believe they can be eradicated?

Cyclists indicating (or not) is not an issue that needs to be addressed.

Do you face any issues with bike lights that could be improved?

The vast majority of lights on sale in the UK do not meet any relevant standards for use on UK roads. Anti-social blinding lights are far too common.

Do you believe an electric bike light is better than a battery powered bike light? What makes you think this?

Err, batteries are simply a storage device for electricity. Modern dynamo powered lights are close to "fit and forget", permanently attached to your cycle and extremely reliable you are never caught out without your lights. Batteries go flat, lights have to be taken off and carried with you for security, they can get left at home or the office by mistake.

Do you find cycling as a struggle for a commuter? What makes you believe this?

No. It's gentle exercise not a struggle.

How much do you believe as a commuter, you should pay for a bike indicator? How much for an advanced cyclist? How much for a beginner?

Nothing, I can stick my arm out for free. That's how I indicate when cycling. There have been many attempts at launching a bike indicator, most willfully ignorant of relevant regulations, all utterly unsuccesful.

Do you find getting through stand –still traffic is a problem? Is this because of, confidence or genuine unsafety? How much does this disrupt your timings of cycling to work or is it mainly cycle paths?

Stand still traffic can be navigated safely with care, however I prefer to find routes that avoid standstill traffic.

[Mike Sales]

Gaz has answered your questions much as I would.
Only brake lights come below indicators in the list of useless bike gadgets.
Theatrical arm movements useful. They attract the attention of dozy drivers and also show definite and deliberate intention. I cannot imagine relying on a little indicator light. I would still feel safer using my arm too.

[Lance Dopestrong]

Answer to Q1 - potholes, and the general parlous state of the roads.

Answer to all other questions - No.

[Jurgen_Klopp]

Thanks for the help, I'll have to reconsider what safety aid is needed to get more cycling commuters. Just a question, trying to describe my logic towards the issues: do you find stand-still traffic a problem? This is in terms of being caught up in this and how it maybe unsafe to push through oncoming traffic e.g. a lorry round a corner, especially in the big congested cities. I know you could possibly move in between the 2 lanes like a lot of frequent, experienced cyclists do. However for a beginner this task is probably too daunting at first-hand. Furthermore this usually occurs from cars not leaving enough room to pass through, because they have no conscious thought towards cycling and they don't need to concentrate in stand-still traffic. How could you communicate for the cyclist to leave room? I have seen cycling symbols displayed on the floor but I don't believe a lorry driver can see this, he is on the right of the lorry. He won't be looking at the ground either.

[gaz]

... I'll have to reconsider what safety aid is needed to get more cycling commuters.

You need to find and research your target market, people who choose not to cycle for their commutes specifically because they would feel unsafe doing so. You are unlikely to find these people on a cycling forum.

Whatever the opinions shared on here enough people have brought cycling indicators to market for you to construct a convincing A-Level project around them being a "safety aid" .

If you do continue down that route then in my view aim at a product you can market to those who regularly commute by cycle during summer but are more reluctant in winter and those already riding in winter who want to feel more "visible". You don't need to persuade anyone they make it safe enough to start cycling, just that it'll make them safer when they do cycle. Gloves with built in "indicator" LEDs to enhance hand signals (especially at night) are possibly a more appealing option than anything that attaches to the cycle in an effort to replace sticking your arm out.

If you want to reconsider then the proven answer is high quality cycling infrastructure.

[cyclop]

Not a commuter,just a regular,older rider.I have a clip on mirror and use it a lot but its not perfect.How about an integral helmet screen with a small,rear facing camera.Might have a dazzle problem at night I suppose.

[belgiangoth]

Thanks for the help, I'll have to reconsider what safety aid is needed to get more cycling commuters. Just a question, trying to describe my logic towards the issues: do you find stand-still traffic a problem?

You should probably borrow a friend’s bike and give it a try.
What might be useful is something that addresses motorists not paying attention, eg something that will scream “notice me!”. The problem with that is that it is the sharp edge of victim blaming. It shouldn’t be my responsibility to ensure that a motorist is looking... but I could see that something that gives the perception of safety would help people take up cycling (doesn’t matter if it is a con, as cycling is actually safe as it is).

[millimole]

You seem to have an interest in cycle lighting.
The only thing I wish for as regards bicycle lights is a remote switch / indication so that I can switch my rear light(s) on/off and change mode plus an indication that the light us actually working as intended.
I have no need for 'car type' indicators - I have arms for that!

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[drossall]

What problems do you face as a current cyclist, which is the most significant and why?
To be honest not that many. As others have said, this is a forum for keen cyclists, so you may not get the same reactions that you'd get from a place where there were loads of nervous riders who won't go near traffic. And as someone said, it's really nowhere near as dangerous, looking at stats, as some people assume.

Do you believe indicating is an issue that needs to be addressed, if so, why, in terms of the problems. How do you believe they can be eradicated?
I'm not convinced by indicators at all. If I did have one, I'd want a wrist-mounted device, with something unusual like an arrow pointing in the direction of turn. Bike safety is complicated, and it's not about passive visibility, but about actively diverting the attention of drivers from others to you - so you need to have a bit of the "What on earth is that?" element as opposed to mere bright lights or hi-vis.

Do you face any issues with bike lights that could be improved?
Over the 45 years I've been riding, they have improved immeasurably. Some lights designed for night-time off-road riding are not well suited to the road (they blind oncoming road users), but there's not too much you could do about that. A button to flash lights at oncoming motorists (or cyclists) who don't dip would be nice, as would a temporary dip on a really good bike light, to help those same people - but you need to start with a light of high enough quality to be worth dipping.

Do you believe an electric bike light is better than a battery powered bike light? What makes you think this?
Technically a battery-powered one is electric. Do you mean a permanently-fitted one (such as one powered from a dynamo)? It's horses for courses. I've got both on different bikes. For utility bikes, touring machines and the like, dynamos can be great because they are always there. Battery lights are good because you can remove them, to make the bike lighter or to avoid theft, when you don't need them - and modern batteries often last for a considerable number of hours, though not necessarily for an all-night ride (which enthusiasts here might do).

Do you find cycling as a struggle for a commuter? What makes you believe this?
No. It can depend on route though. I'm lucky and able to choose a more pleasant route over the alternative. Generally the worst is when some road builder has, over time, taken over a general-purpose road for all traffic and treated it as though it was only for motor vehicles, leaving others (including cyclists) with no option but to fight the traffic.

How much do you believe as a commuter, you should pay for a bike indicator? How much for an advanced cyclist? How much for a beginner?
Because I'm ambivalent, I'd probably only pay a tenner or so for a set, and then only if the design made my laugh (because it would then be more likely to get attention).

Do you find getting through stand –still traffic is a problem? Is this because of, confidence or genuine unsafety? How much does this disrupt your timings of cycling to work or is it mainly cycle paths?
Not really. Where it is an issue, it's because of limited road width. There are no cycle path options in my case, and most roads are good. The other issue is drivers failing to obey rule 6 bullet 1 and keep left, meaning that one driver is to the right of the lane and the next to the left, and there is no clear path to filter through on either side. Again, not something you can easily address I think.

For your project, I'd suggest taking up the idea that visibility is not about being the brightest or the most hi-vis. The driver on the other end of the process is a human being, with finite capacity to observe what's going on. Therefore it's not just a matter of being more visible, but of being unusual, because in effect you have to steal attention from someone else; the alternative is to assume that the driver is not already giving 100% of her/his attention to the road. So maybe a wrist-mounted indicator with a thumbs-up thanks sign, that kind of slightly off-the-wall idea. May be a risk though if the assessor/examiner doesn't get the background!

Or I quite often wish I could check more easily that my rear light is still running - remember that, here, we travel far enough to let good batteries run down over the space of one ride. There have been ideas of running a fibre-optic cable to the handlebars to let you see this? Some rear lights can't be seen without stopping and getting off otherwise. Or a built-in charge indicator? You can get very cheap battery testers now - why not build one into the light? **

Hope this helps...

** When you've made your fortune, my cut is 25%.

[Jurgen_Klopp]

Do you find getting through stand –still traffic is a problem? Is this because of, confidence or genuine unsafety? How much does this disrupt your timings of cycling to work or is it mainly cycle paths?
Not really. Where it is an issue, it's because of limited road width. There are no cycle path options in my case, and most roads are good. The other issue is drivers failing to obey rule 6 bullet 1 and keep left, meaning that one driver is to the right of the lane and the next to the left, and there is no clear path to filter through on either side. Again, not something you can easily address I think.
[/quote]

Thanks for the help. Yes I did find think of this problem. Could you communicate for the driver to leave space? Some picture on the floor probably wouldn't work, as the driver won't be looking at the floor. Especially as a new cyclist as you don't have the confidence to move into the other right lane, and then move back into the left, if you understand what I mean???

[gaz]

Could you communicate for the driver to leave space? Some picture on the floor probably wouldn't work, as the driver won't be looking at the floor.

Doesn't mean you can't try to sell it as a safety aid : https://beryl.cc/shop/laserlights

[drossall]

Thanks for the help. Yes I did find think of this problem. Could you communicate for the driver to leave space? Some picture on the floor probably wouldn't work, as the driver won't be looking at the floor. Especially as a new cyclist as you don't have the confidence to move into the other right lane, and then move back into the left, if you understand what I mean???

Not really. This happens in stationary traffic (otherwise filtering becomes of dubious safety). Therefore, the driver has already made the positioning error and now isn't going anywhere, whatever signal I make

Also, not all drivers appreciate cyclists signalling what they ought to be doing

[ANTONISH]

Every so often someone comes on the forum with a survey to find what cyclists can do to make cycling safer.
The main factor for cyclist safety is driver behaviour - as a cyclist I can do little about that.

I am exasperated by this - why don't you stop wasting your time and consider what changes are needed to make the roads safe for vulnerable road users?
Or is that not acceptable as an A level subject?

I'm sorry to be so negative - but this comes up so often that I wonder if it's become a standard topic offered as a research subject for students - always with inherent assumption that the cyclist is endangering themselves and if they only had the right gadget they would be safe.

[Mike Sales]

Antonish explains well why safety gadgets etc. are addressing the wrong problem.
Here is another useless idea. Putting an arrow on the back of a hiviz coat, as if drivers hit cyclists because they don't realise that they should steer round them.

[url]https://road.cc/content/news/261313-want-more-space-overtaking-drivers-wear-hi-vis-vest-arrow-says-study
[/url]