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Product Designer vs. Graphic Designer's Approach to Bike Safety Device

Call me a traitor, but I prefer the graphic designer's solution here

By Rain Noe - May 10, 2021

in Bikes

London-based product designer Sean Whiffin has designed the L-Bow, a bendable taillight for bikes meant to increase their visibility to drivers:

I like the concept, but after seeing it in action in the video…

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…I don't feel that it does enough. I think it's a bit too slim, and worry the light emitted is too paltry for all drivers to spot.

A similar concept that looks more effective to me, is this pool noodle trick presented by graphic designer, cyclist and writer Annalisa van den Bergh on Quartz:

"The neon-colored $2 bike safety trick." --Annalisa van den Bergh

I still appreciate Whiffen's efforts, and he has had the $41 L-Bow successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter. At press time there was 25 days left to pledge. But I think van den Bergh's idea has the potential for greater uptake.

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Hans Marvell

3 years ago

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So you want to design for Bicycle safety? FIne, here are 3 easy steps:
1. Move to Copenhagen and live here for at least 3 months and travel only by bike.
2. Realize that even in a country with highway codes that include hand signals for bicyclists, only 50% of people know and use them.
3. Discover the confusion that would be created by anyone indicating or signaling in an unauthordox way.

Joking aside, bicycle safety is a serious matter and in increasing demand as cities around the world try to impliment cycling into their transport infrastructure. Having lived in the UK for 14 years in the 1980s and 1990s, I can witness to how difficult it was to cycle in a country where most motorists are not used to navigating around you. Seeing how agressive cycling has become in London, the problem is really in people's attitude and behaviour as much as it is linked to poor infrastructure. So while all these product ideas emain interesting, they only succeed if they are adapted and intergrated by the majority of users, either through education and laws, or by being second nature and resting on what already exists. The best example of this is the success of the Hövding bicycle airbag helmet here in Denmark. There has been a slow uptake in the use of bicycle helmets in Copenhagen compared to other cities without the same heritage for cycling. Because cycling is so intergrated into day-to-day life, any new trend that interferes too much with existing behaviour will fail. The air-bag helmet works here with people because it is far less intrusive than a regular helmet, but works when it matters. Even though it is comparitively more expensive than a traditional helmet, it works with a userbase who still values the feeling of cycling without a helmet on.

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steve hassler

3 years ago

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I feel this needs a bright round light in the middle at the base as a point of reference in very dark conditions. Or, why not just put very bright lights on thin rods sticking out both sides so autos can reference the entire width of the rider?

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