French City Crowdsources Bike Design
Get on your bike and ride with open innovation!
In the very near future when residents of Bordeaux, France push their pedal to the metal on the city’s public bike rental system, they’ll be zipping around the streets on a two-wheeler that some of them had a hand in designing.
Last year, city authorities invited citizens to come up with ideas for a novel bike design for its bike-share scheme. And more than 300 people took part.
They submitted their designs to the je participe micro-site and then designer Philippe Starck was brought in to whip the ideas into a single concept.
The final design, dubbed the City PIBAL is a silver-yellow bike scooter, a hybrid that can be ridden like a conventional bike and scooter. Some are calling it the “ideal city bike”.
To ensure that it’s durable, functional and affordable the bike will have a lightweight aluminium frame, fluorescent wheels, brakes and a gear system inserted into the hub of the wheels, and automatic lighting integrated into the structure.
Three thousand vehicles are expected to go into production and will be manufactured by Peugeot by the end of 2012.
Citizen Engagement
Meanwhile the city is still listening to the crowd as citizens are being asked for ideas on how to make Bordeaux more bikeable.
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