Monday, October 24, 2011

City touring slowly?

City Tourer at Sentosa, 1993 :)  yes, it is a fully working prototype!
Design sketches. Back then, there was no computer. Just marker, pastel. Front sitting for better views!
The recent cargo bike news on the internet and cycling activities in Singapore made me think about a project I did back in 1993. I was studying product design at Temasek Polytechnic and my final year project was called City tourer.
The idea is to re-invent the Trishaw as a viable form of touring vehicle in the city. How many times have u visited a place by bus. Get on a bus, drive to a place of interest, de-bus. Click click. Get back to the air con comfort and zoom to the next place. In the haste to zoom from one place to another. Very often we fail to see, smell and experience the small, nice things in life. So enter the City tourer. Designed with a snail like form, to encourage more people to use it. With an iconic design, I hoped that it could become a part of Singapore city scape.  The Canopy is solar panel to provide power for the electric power assist motor. This should make it easier to pedal around.  The front seat folds up like a cinema seat so that the passenger access is easy and when not in use, can keep dry.
I hoped that it might be adapted and be commercialised.  I was close. Sentosa actually approached my school, did a series of surveys and it was displayed and road test at Sentosa.  Later on, I had to do my national service and the followup fizzled some what.... anyway, here is my City tourer! Let me know if u like it and I am trying to find my video.... later.  Enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. I was intrigued with the dutch cargo bike for its simplicity and practicality. Still am...

    http://lovethefold.blogspot.com/2008/07/cargo-bike-my-next-toy.html

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  2. Your project TW has loads of potential... hope someone develops it further.

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  3. how nice to have slow moving transport in Singapore! Singapore is not so big, slow movement can make the country feel bigger.
    The snail shape design is simply brilliant - giving tourist or local the snail perspective of Singapore.

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  4. Thanks Bro Al and Francis! Geez..time flies when u are having fun! Almost 18 years ago!

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  5. Great idea to enjoy the place with this cargo bike! Your work is so finished! Must be scoring high mark for this project! ;)
    I remember how I was running up and down with my brother CK for his last year project, it was fun through to help him and his classmates ;p

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