Many of the products we critique in this weekly column serve little purpose or do not do a very good job of accomplishing what they set out to do. Others have less to do with how silly they are than what they say about our society and its priorities.
This week’s nominee is the LightLane, a concept that has been making the bike blog rounds this week and attempts to address both night visibility and the lack of bicycle facilities in one product. Now I’m all for visibility. Light yourself up like a Christmas tree and get visible. I’m not sure lasers shooting on the ground is going to work in the real world, but if they did, the more lights, the better.
Perhaps you could get a Down Low Glow, a commerically available product that would do much of what this concept attempts in visibility. The only downside there is you have to choose whether you are going to be a good Jedi or a bad one.
My biggest problem with this product is its assumption as cyclists that we must accept our status as second class citizens. The creators of this concept say “only a small fraction of streets have dedicated bike lanes, and with an installation cost of $5,000 to $50,000 per mile, we shouldn’t expect to find them everywhere anytime soon.”
I think if we put the amount of energy and creativity that was dedicated to making this concept into actually getting organized and demanding equal facilities, we won’t have to resort temporary lighting to make the space on the road we deserve.
Earlier this week, former mayor of Bógota, Enrique Peñalosa, made the point at the Shifting Gears luncheon that providing such facilities is akin to respecting the dignity of all our citizens. “A protected bikeway shows a citizen on a $40 bike is as important as a person in a $40,000 car,” he said. Amen, brother. Ain’t no blinky gonna replace space for us on the road.
In the end, it’s not really this product that is dumb, but us. Americans have chosen a life that is comfortably wasteful and one that cares little for the needs of those without the green or desire to own a car. It’s OK though. Fate may favor the fools, but roll the dice enough and sooner or later you lose. Let’s just hope we make the changes we need before we roll snake eyes.
Enjoy your weekend, and get out and ride your bike.
Read the previous week’s Dumbest Product of the Week.
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on Jan 23rd, 2009 at 5:03 pm
This way everyone will have bike lane segregation, separate but equal, where ever they go.
Maybe it will give the sense of security to all the people who are afraid to ride where there are no bike lanes! What Joy! A lazer gives about as much protection as a painted line does, this should receive federal stimulus money!
on Jan 26th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Haven’t all your `dumbest products’ actually been available for purchase?
I don’t think this thing is available yet. It wouldn’t surprise me if they haven’t even made a workable prototype yet.
on Jan 26th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Doug,
I try to focus on real, commercially available products in general but we’ve covered some prototype items in the past. Just because it’s a prototype, doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, eh?
on Jan 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
it is weird that this and other elaborate lighting systems get such attention. i mean they are stunning, and do capture the imagination, but i really get excited about a lighting system that just works, and you never have to think about it. such systems are rare, and not as affordable as i’d like.
on Jan 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Yeah, it seems people are always trying to make things more complicated which usually means more expensive. Simple low cost solutions aren’t sexy, but they sure get my admiration.
on Jan 27th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
… of course, how would the user of such a device handle all the UPS and Fedex trucks parking behind him?
And note how he doesn’t seem to have a light on the back of his bike? (He might have a reflector, but without a light shining on it, we can’t see it — fail.)
on Jan 28th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I also have an article on this over at practicalcyclist.blogspot.net . My findings:
1. Not as good as an agreed-upon bikelane
2. Doesn’t work in daytime, therefore must be compared to nightlights as a safety device. (Night lighting: better, probably cheaper)
3. Lightlane seems more oriented to overtaking motorists than approaching motorists, which (accident stats tell us) is where most car-bike collisions occur; and
4. Doesn’t exist (Photoshop job). If the yo-yos who posted this rendering had gone to the effort to prototype this instead of just PS’ing it, they would have dumped it in the crapper early on. What happens when the cyclist dumps and shines a laser in the eyes of the motorist?
Oh, and Doug, I noticed the no light thing too. This reminds me of the Trek bicycle ad with the cyclo-commuter at dusk with no lighting.
on Jan 30th, 2009 at 8:05 am
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on Mar 11th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
REMEMBER FOLKS the side walk isn’t a bike lane keep your f””’ bikes off the side walk