Reflection
The LENS award competition – improving a product system and enabling sustainable product use for shared consumption was a good project to finish the semester mostly themed on ‘sustainable design’. Our team including James, Tom, Jeff and myself designed a chain know as the ‘Sydney Cycle Hub’; a product service system providing kiosk information on cycle paths and maps, infrastructure for government initiative known as ‘bike bus’ and providing Sydney commuters access to air pump and puncture sealant facilities. Our project aims to build a bicycle friendly Sydney community, and as such uniquely ties in with the NSW 2010 cycle plan. The product attempts to break down barriers of cycling such as safety and maintenance and repair from the heart of the CBD to outer neighbouring suburbs.
As a collaborative design project, I enjoyed brainstorming problems with Sydney’s fairly poor transport system as opposed to many other European countries and designing a creative solution. At first I didn’t know much about cycling and the many challenges cyclists face travelling around the CBD and home. From a women’s perspective - I realised how hard it must be to carry bike equipment such as locks, sweat towels, tubes for puncture repair and a hand pump. What’s more; the dangers of being cut off or swiped by motorists in large four-wheel drives.
By carrying out research and talking to cyclists on an open forum discussion on Sydney Cyclists about our project; it was a surprising to see how many people were really passionate about cycling in Sydney. It shows how much potential Sydney backed by thousands of cyclists can build ‘cycleable city and suburbs’ and become the cycling capital of Australia.
The project has inspired me as an Industrial designer to design sustainable solutions for product use for millions of people (they want and need) and the potential of collaborative local councils working together to facilitate these solutions.
I look forward to buying my first bicycle.
Rationale
Sustainable design and planning in Sydney, Australia has the potential to create ‘cyclable suburbs’ incorporating cycling infrastructure into the fabric of the city and outer neighbourhoods. Sydney Cycle Hub; a 24-hour product-service system is not only a new cycling infrastructure which builds on this idealism of a bicycle friendly Sydney community, but encourages and supports people to cycle.
An initiative of local Sydney councils; ‘Sydney Cycle Hub’ is a product-service system featuring the ‘hub’ and its larger internet networking system to create a community cycle network for Sydney commuters. Powered by solar technologies in accordance with Green Power energy, the ‘Hub’ is a sustainable product system. The product service focuses on breaking down barriers by enabling cycle learning on how to repair your bicycle and providing cycle path maps for commuters to reach destinations. In accordance with a government initiative known as ‘bike bus’ the Sydney cycle hub enables commuters to cycle with other commuters at certain intervals, by registering and meeting at our ‘hubs’ from outer suburbs to the city. The product service aims to break down social and physical barriers by providing a free automatic pump service and puncture gel to assist users from a wide range of socio-economic class and gender.
The hub product features entail:
· Interface software including:
o How to maintain your bicycle (pump and puncture)
o Cycle path maps in CBD and outer suburbs in 5-10km radius
o Bike Bus schedule
o Weather and Time
o Cycle traffic updates
· Air pump with adjustable PSI readings
· Puncture sealant gel (inserted into the tyre)
Registration through the larger Internet system enables access to the ‘hub’ bike maintenance and air facilities.
Online Internet system includes:
· Bike Bus registration and schedule
· Watch out – service to allow people to report unsafe cycle areas in Sydney
· Council feedback loops
Online forum discussion on Sydney cycle news and updates (i.e. Sydney cycle plan)
