University project - help needed

[mart0203]

Hi, i am a transport design student currently studying at the university of Huddersfield and have been given a brief with the aim to of designing a range of products for cyclists and urban commuters for the brand Oakley, and was hoping you could help me out by taking the time to answer a few questions listed below, all help is much appreciated and thanks in advance.

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle?
• How long does your journey take on average?
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey?
• How would you improve your journey if you could?

Thanks again in advance for your help.

 

[Sandra6]

What is the reason behind making a journey by bike?
There are three reasons behind me getting the bike - firstly I need to get somewhere (work, the shops) secondly if I want to get somewhere - next town along, relatives, the park, and thirdly if I feel I need the exercise and want to burn the calories.

How long does a journey take?
Depends where I'm going, regular trips to work and the shops are five to ten minutes for the mile or two I go. If I'm cycling for fun or fitness then I'll go 20 miles or so and it can take up to two hours depending on how hilly the route is and how fit I'm feeling!

Main problems I encounter?
Cars trying to occupy the same space as me. Bugs flying in my face and mouth bluergh. Hills!

How would I improve my journey??
That's a tricky one, it depends. Some days I improve the journey by cycling an extra five miles, sometimes I want to improve the journey by having warmer hands. Mostly I want to improve the journey by having a better bike!

 

[Arsen Gere]

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? Travelling to work, training for triathlons, pleasure.
• How long does your journey take on average? 45 mins
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? Traffic and weather conditions.
• How would you improve your journey if you could? Have more people cycling.

 

[snorri]

.

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle?Too far to walk or insufficiently urgent to use public transport or private car.
• How long does your journey take on average? Difficult to say, I don't record such detail, anything from one minute to six weeks
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? Natural problems, the wind and hills. Man made problems, motor vehicle operators driving with lack of consideration, and transport engineers who have failed to consider cycling when designing infrastructure.
• How would you improve your journey if you could? Reduce motor vehicle speed limits, increase penalties for driving infringements, introduce a form of strict liability to bring the UK into line with mainland Europe. Prioritise road design and infrastructure to favour bicycles instead of motor vehicles.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle?

house only has 1 car so one of us has to cycle if going anywhere, no public transport close enough, quicker & cheaper to cycle than try public transport by time you have got to any, fitness, enjoy it (I could go on)

How long does your journey take on average?

varies depending on what 'commute' I am doing. 1 weekly commute is an hour each way, another is 45mins and a 3rd is only 30 mins.
if cycling for fun, then 2-3 hours at least

What are the main problems you encounter on your journey?

bike parking at the other end, occasional issues with road vehicles, pathetic state of cycle lanes where they exist, so usually don't use them and potholes/grids, but mostly around here at least drivers are OK.

How would you improve your journey if you could?

would be great not to have to carry bike locks around all the time, I can usually request free tap water -not been refused yet but have had some dirty looks for asking, state of the roads and driver education (plus some of the more intertesting cyclists I see as well - they need educating as well), traffic lights not detecting cyclists & having to wait for a car to turn up to trigger them... list can go on endlessly

 

[Licramite]

Either commute to work and back or leisure.
If its commute it takes 15minutes , leisure - anything upto 6hours but normally 2hours.
The main problem is traffic and road design which forces you into the traffic.
how can design help me.
Cycle paths should go from A - B not end just at the point were it becomes narrow and dangerous.
Drains in roads are placed right were cyclist cycle , so appart from having to negiote them they are a big slip hazard in icey conditions.
Road width. - most roads are to narrow , cars cannot pass safely as it means going on the wrong side of he road and judging oncoming traffic. Roads should be 3ft wider on both sides.
Roundabouts should have zebra crossings over each exit so bikes and pedestrians can go round them with priority.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Hi, i am a transport design student currently studying at the university of Huddersfield and have been given a brief with the aim to of designing a range of products for cyclists and urban commuters for the brand Oakley, and was hoping you could help me out by taking the time to answer a few questions listed below, all help is much appreciated and thanks in advance.

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? many and varied. Commute, to go somewhere other than work, shopping, giving the dog that can't be let off her lead a run, riding in the park and local tracks with the family, because I feel like it.
• How long does your journey take on average? how long is a piece of string. walking the dog, 30 minutes, commute 30 minutes, shopping depends where I'm shopping, family & Because I feel like it, until I decide to turn round and head home 2 to4+ hours
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? Problems is too strong a word 99% of the time but
  Poorly designed and maintained roads
  Lack of clearly delineated shared use paths causing unneccesary friction with other human (or equine) powered travellers
  Rarely bad drivers
  Secure weatherproof parking if I'm going shopping & it depends how much I'm planning on buying/carrying when I get off the bike but lack of PAYG lockers etc in most urban areas and villages for removable bits (lights, tools, helmet etc) to save carrying them about off the bike if picking up other stuff too.
• How would you improve your journey if you could?
  Train the dog that running across the front of me is always a bad idea, For my 'utility' cycling I suppose well thought out and properly maintained infrastructure could help. Well thought out and maintaied parking & readily available PAYG lockers that aren't part of some user scheme that sees them padlocked and unused 99.99% of the time, (TGfM take note, now and again we may wish to make a multi modal journey but are hampered by your laughably poor attitude to and consideration of bikes) Less hills when my legs are tired, Winona Ryder in hot pants riding in front of me everywhere I go.

Thanks again in advance for your help.

Can I suggest that your questions are too open, to the point of being vague and unfocussed and to be honest don't suggest you hold a great understanding of cycling as anything other than an oddity. I know that you're not suppsed to lead us to the answer you want to get, but by the sounds of your brief and being a design student, you aren't going to get the answers you need from the questions you've asked, unless you're planning on branching out into urban planning and road engineering.

 

[TheDoctor]

Design student registers with poorly-thought-out survey and request for help shock horror!!

 

[4F]

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? Enjoyment
• How long does your journey take on average? How long is a piece of string
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? Impatient road users and low flying pheasants
• How would you improve your journey if you could? Always have a tailwind

 

[CopperCyclist]

* What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle?
* How long does your journey take on average?
* What are the main problems you encounter on your journey?
* How would you improve your journey if you could?


Perhaps as a Transport Design student you need to be specific that you are talking about commuters (if you are?). The questions make little sense, and have vastly different answers if you are talking about cycling in general. I'll therefore base my answers solely on commuting to work, rather than riding for fun.

1. Fitness and I hate paying money to attend work.
2. 30 minutes
3. Dunno about 'main' as I'm struggling to think of any really... getting held up by red lights?
4. Build a very thin 2000 foot hill in between me and work, so I have the option to go up (and down) it if I have the spare time, and the option to ignore it if late!

 

[Mile195]

I agree with coppercyclist that the questions aren't very specific, but if I were to consider my normal commuting route:

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? Getting to work, and because I enjoy it.
• How long does your journey take on average? 1h15-1h30.
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? various, but poorly maintained roads, and excessive numbers of traffic lights are big annoyances.
• How would you improve your journey if you could? Rephase or remove a number of seemingly unnecessary lights from my main route.

 

[Easytigers]

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? Fitness and money saving
• How long does your journey take on average? 45 mins
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey? Unlit roads and drivers using full beam
• How would you improve your journey if you could? Lit streets or a product that could negate the light from full beam lights

 

[Ern1e]

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle? don't own a car.

• How long does your journey take on average? that depends on where I have to go anything from 10 mins upwards.

• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey badly designed junctions and cars.

• the state of the roads / junctions.

 

[summerdays]

Hi, i am a transport design student currently studying at the university of Huddersfield and have been given a brief with the aim to of designing a range of products for cyclists and urban commuters for the brand Oakley, and was hoping you could help me out by taking the time to answer a few questions listed below, all help is much appreciated and thanks in advance.

• What is the reason behind you making a journey on a bicycle?
• How long does your journey take on average?
• What are the main problems you encounter on your journey?
• How would you improve your journey if you could?

Thanks again in advance for your help.

1. Mostly commuting to and from work
2. About 40 mins
3. Hills and people on mobile phones whilst driving
4. I would be able to cycle up the hills quicker without feeling worn out, tired and wondering why everyone else was better at them than me. As for mobile phones - I would fit their cars with a device that blocked them from using their phone in the car, and far larger fines in the first place.