Short Survey: Turn Signals

c_squared

Hi my name is Charlie and I am involved in a senior design course through my high school's engineering program. I am working on designing a turn signal/brake light system for road and commuting use. I am conducting a short survey to gauge interest in my idea. If you have a few minutes to take my survey it would be greatly appreciated. Here's the link to the survey:

https://docs.google.com/a/sbcsc.k12.in.us/forms/d/1HeLcpnEGbu3Rxhl4i-v8xMfIkQdSSElO0nN8YXB8e4M/viewform

Thanks
-Charlie

Southgate

It's a solution in search of a problem.

On a bike you indicate your intentions by road positioning, hand signals and eye contact.

e.g. if you are turning right, you should look over your shoulder, check that there is sufficient space to move to the right of the lane (or into the right lane), check that the driver behind you has seen you, signal right with your right hand (if needed and if safe to do so) then move into position and either wait for oncoming traffic to pass, or if there isn't any complete the manoeuvre and turn right.

Works every time. Unless the driver behind you is a total a-hole, in which case you're dead anyway, indicators or no indicators. The reason drivers drive into cyclists is because they don't look or don't give f***. It's got nothing to do with indicators, which in any case don't really work on bikes because of the narrowness of the frame.

Bikes are agile contraptions which can weave around the road to take advantage of the gaps in traffic. They are not big square things which occupy a whole lane and go straight until they indicate left or right. You can't transplant features of a car onto a bike. It just doesn't work.

EKE_38BPM

Agreed.

Good luck with the project though.

pastryboy

Having to set an indicator would be a distraction, I'd rather use that second to shoulder check then I can decide to make move or slow down and wait for a better chance.

It I started blinking to turn left a car might try and overtake whereas I may need to move to the right a bit before I make the turn.

First.Aspect

Here's what I wrote:

"I bicycle is too narrow for this to be viable. Brake lights work in the opposite way you need a bike light to work. You need more brightness when you, and so most likely the traffic around you, is moving faster or on dark lanes. I have never experienced issues when braking.

Putting motor vehicle type lights on a bicycle is wrong thinking because they will not be expected or looked for. The best lighting and visibility aids on a bicycle are those which help the motorists visualise a person riding a bike. So, items which highlight the pedaling motion, rotating wheels and so forth are the way to go. Hence, wheel reflectors, ankle reflectors and the like.

The *might* be some benefit to some augmentation of the actual hand signals we use, however. I have reflective arm warmers for example. Although it would likely be a hassle to install and keep charged, some lighting indication assocated with sticking your arm out to turn and to help a driver to see that motion, might be of some benefit.

But turn signals on the bike itself, no, absolutely pointless. And its already been done several times. Its also now possible to get rear lights with accelerometers on them (look up "lumicycle").

If you are going to design something, make sure its something new."

I don't want to be too harsh but we get quite a few people posting on here to get feedback for design projects and its some time since I can remember anything new being proposed. If its part of a design project that's going to last a few months and be the crowning acheivement of your undergraduate degree, surely a few hours' worth of due dilligence beforehand on Google is a worthwhile investment? What usually happens though is someone decides what they are going to design and asks the forum how best to design it. i.e. Its already too late to explain that there's really no point. Very rarely does any student ask, "hey guys, what do you need?"

If you want to come up with something truly useful, how about some filing cabinet or desk drawer sized apparatus for drying my cycling kit at work without stinking out the office? That would be awesome, thanks.

Or maybe a courier bag and jersey/vest combo that stops the f'ing thing moving about on my back.

I could go on....

tgotb

First Aspect wrote:

Or maybe a courier bag and jersey/vest combo that stops the f'ing thing moving about on my back.

That's been done too, it's called a rucksack. Not quite as convenient as a courier bag if you're constantly taking packages in/out, but if you only pack it once before getting on your bike, and unpack it once after getting off your bike, it's perfect.

asprilla

I use the stability strap on my courier bags and they stay in on place.

First.Aspect

Sigh.

Yes, I've heard of a rucksack. Find me one which doesn't constrict my neck and make my back sweaty, then.

The stability strap has never quite been enough for me on my tumbik2s, at least whilst allowing me to breathe.

Perhaps he should design a gilet with an integrated bag? Okay, I'm not a designer.

All of this does nothing for the utility or novelty of indicators for a bicycle, though.

c_squared

Thanks for all the feedback! I have a few buddies that posted their survey on here and they got completely torn up by some of the members on the forum. All of this feedback is useful and I will keep in mind everything that you guys have said as I move along through the design process. If I do indeed carry through with this product I will make sure to post a few pictures of the final design for you guys to check out.

seajays

First Aspect wrote:

Find me one which doesn't constrict my neck and make my back sweaty, then.
The stability strap has never quite been enough for me on my tumbik2s, at least whilst allowing me to breathe.
Perhaps he should design a gilet with an integrated bag? Okay, I'm not a designer.

I have the answer… Pannier Bag. :twisted:

[…he says poking lion with big stick]