Welcome back to yet another feature from Core 77′s 2nd Annual Greener Gadgets Design Competition. After reviewing some really great submissions including Blight, and Eco-neighbuzz, today we’re wrapping up our coverage; although there are loads of submissions we did not feature due to time constraints – be sure to check them out. “Ubicycle is a public bicycle service, that encourages people to cycle as an alternative way to commute. The bicycle system itself is comprised of three primary components: solar powered racking stations, smart-card readers, and the bikes themselves. Ideally positioned in residential neighbourhoods, near schools, by mass-transit, and in dense urban areas, Ubicycle encourages commuters to embrace human-powered transportation as an alternative to driving.”
“The objective of the Ubicycle is to provide commuters with an ultra-integrated solution for commuting to and from mass-transit, school, or work. The concept aims to get as many people out of their cars as possible. The key to accomplishing this is to provide a streamlined solution that makes it easier, not harder to commute by bike. By developing a universal card access system for buses, trains, metros, and Ubicycles, people would be more likely to switch to the Ubicycle as their conduit to public transportation. Ideally, all mass-transit would be equipped with the same RFID reader that the Ubicycle uses to identify and charge people for access.” This is a great system for cities that do not offer Rack and Roll programs, however I wonder how safe these fancy bikes are from would-be thieves. Anyone with a decent bike will tell you that they have to strip it down just to safeguard it when it’s locked to a rack.
