After the shock news that bicycles could be banned from the proposed pedestrianisation of Oxford Street in London, inventor Yannick Read has come up with a unique solution: a 'guerilla bike lane'.
Read has created a cycle that lays down a blue Cycle SuperHighway-style bike lane on the road as you ride along, ensuring that wherever you ride the cycling infrastructure is in place.
Read came up with the device for cycle insurance company ETA, which branded the Oxford Street bike ban as 'ridiculous'.
"So ridiculous does the ETA find the bike ban, that it decided to respond in an equally absurd way. Taking inspiration from the Japanese tradition chindogu (translates as ‘weird tool’), which celebrates seemingly useless creations, the ETA cobbled together a bicycle accessory that allows riders to lay a cycle lane as they pedal along."
The 'bike lane' uses a low-tack adhesive to keep it in place, and white bicycle symbols can be added after it is laid via the use of a sponge and paint.
Apparently the device can lay 25 metres of 'cycle lane' in 10 seconds.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"We’re already working on a better version and if [Mayor of London] Sadiq Khan refuses to revise his plans in favour of cyclists, we’ll be paying Oxford Street a visit to install our own guerilla cycle lane.”
Plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street
(Image credit: TfL)
Of course, the invention isn't entirely serious but it does highlight concerns over Oxford Street being closed to cycles, which may set a precedent for other areas of London. Plans for the changes to Oxford Street are currently out for public consultation by Transport for London.
Serial inventor Read has also got another invention up his sleeve – or on it – called the Thingumy.
It's a device that can be strapped to a cyclist's arm, or ankle, or to the tip tube of a bike to hold lights, bananas or even a bottle of drink.
Readers may also remember the exploding Bike Mine cycle anti-theft deterrent, which was also the brainchild of Read.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
One domestic road race can produce equivalent emissions to flying from London to New York and back, twice: the why and how of more sustainable events
Is Mathieu van der Poel winning races “in zone 2” helping or hindering cyclo-cross?
