PUUNK my ride: development of the Personalised User- generated Upcycled N-configurable Kit velomobile.
Mark Richardson, Karen Burns, Bradley John Haylock · Transport Research Forum · 2011
Cycling is a highly efficient form of low carbon transport, but to date, cyclists have had only marginal representation on Australia’s roads. There are various reasons for this, such as cyclist safety, product quality, weather, road conditions, and social drivers. The velomobile, however, presents an alternative to the standard two-wheel bicycle that would overcome many of these issues and thus offers a way to travel short and medium-length distances with zero emissions. This paper argues that, while velomobiles are a comfortable commuter cycling alternative, their current lack of widespread usage is due to negative socio-cultural perceptions of this type of transportation and the lack of a diverse range of ‘Cool’ velomobile products. It discusses the relevance of creative activist intervention as a means of developing products beyond the limits of their original design and of firmly embedding these products into social practice. It cites the Punk movement of the 1970s and its influence on current ‘DIY’ (do-it-yourself) ‘mashup’ culture; where web 2.0 enabled, open-source, usergenerated product development is redefining whole systems of design, manufacture and retail. The paper goes on to outline the development of the PUUNK (Personalised, Usergenerated, Upcycled, N-configurable Kit ) system as a framework for an open-source, reconfigurable, low cost velomobile.