Ride the Rainbow! "Skittles Bikes" by Jessi Pervola
Contrail - Biking Community Tool
I love where this is going. My watchwords here have been "innovation," "community," and "safety" and the Contrail is a near-perfect blend of all three. The artist/engineers at Brooklyn's Studio Gelardi put their considerable talents to work for the Desgin21 "Power to the Pedal" competition and what came out is Contrail, a simple but inspired way for cyclists to actively create a new "cycle" of road use.
Basically, the old cycle was a negative one. Cyclists would become discouraged by seeing fewer cyclists and more cars and would stop cycling, leaving...fewer cyclists.
The new cycle, envisioned by Studio Gelardi, goes something like this: Contrail-equipped cyclists leave proof of their existence and an easily followed map of their routes on the street behind them, allowing other cyclists to take heart in the fact that they are not alone and providing a visual cue for drivers that bikes have been there recently, and will be there again. And all of this in an affordable, refillable little device. The icing on the cake is that the marks on the street are just chalk and will simply wash away.
I think Contrail, and products like it, are the most important innovations in the cycling community. Not only do they promote visibility and awareness of everyone involved, but they contribute to the urban landscape and the fabric of the community at the same time.
Bravo!
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