For almost the entire history of bicycles there have been two
uses: transport and leisure. Worldwide the use of the bicycle
varies. In the US, for example, bicycles are almost exclusively
for leisure; in Europe and Asia, bicycles are a prime form of
transport.
Activity
What do you see as the main use of bicycles in Australia?
Effects
of engineering innovation in transport on people's lives
A bicycle is an efficient and economical means of transport,
…can
travel 150 km on a normal touring cycle using no more
energy than would be needed to walk 30 km. The bicycle
is designed to allow the use of muscular energy in the
most economic way. The cyclist remains seated, which saves
energy because the leg muscles do not have to support
the body or to raise and lower it at each step, as they
do when walking. The thigh muscles, the strongest in the
body, are used efficiently to produce a downward force
on one pedal, which simultaneously raises the other leg
without any further effort. The arms rest on the handlebars
and help to support the trunk. This relieves back muscles,
which normally support the trunk. By a combination of
leg, back and arm movements, the cyclist can briefly exert
a force of at least one and a half times their own weight.
A
bicycle must be strong enough to carry comparatively heavy
loads, yet it must be light and easy to propel. It can
carry a load ten times its own weight, which makes it
the strongest machine of its size ever built, while someone
riding a bicycle uses energy more efficiently than any
other animal, or any machine yet invented.
In
the Western world the invention of the internal combustion
engine and the motor-car has made people more mobile than
ever and brought about social changes even more sweeping
than those caused by the bicycle. In less developed countries
the cycle is still the chief means of private transport.
Every year more bicycles are being used, and bicycle manufacture
is big business: over forty million machines are produced
each year.
The
bicycle:
- does
not pollute the atmosphere
- makes
little demand on the world's scarce raw materials and
fuel
- provides
healthy exercise
- costs
relatively little to buy and hardly anything at all to
maintain.
(Low,
1977: 53)
Appropriate
technology
Technology is an important part of the lives of people in
all societies. Products, systems and environments are typically
valued for how they work (their function) and how they look
(their aesthetics). Appropriate technology involves considering
the impacts on and benefits for society and the environment
of the design, production and use of the technology. Appropriate
technology is defined as 'technology which, in its creation
and use, meets human needs while considering the short- and
long-term consequences for the society and the environment.'
(Board of Studies, 1996: 9)
When
considering the appropriateness of a design think about the
following questions:
- Who
has designed it and for whom?
- Who
benefits? Why?
- Upon
whom or what does it impact and why?
- Who
or what is most important and why?
- Is
there another way it can be done better?
Activity
1. The car replaced the bicycle as the main form of personal
transport in many countries. What impact has this had on air
pollution? What have governments done to reduce air pollution
in recent years?
2. The Superbike has been designed for the track and competition.
Is it appropriate to use such a bike for personal transport
purposes?
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