Lost in Translation

​Our roads are busier than ever with drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians all vying for space. It’s no wonder that tempers are lost, and conflicts arise as our ability to communicate is locked behind windscreens and inside helmets – resulting in more than 2,000 cyclists being killed on roads in Europe each year.

But what if our roads don’t have to be a communication vacuum, save for gestures and blaring horns? What if there was a way for cyclists to clearly and safely indicate how they feel, which way they intend to turn or highlight a danger ahead that a following road user may not be able to see.

The challenge

This month’s challenge then is to come up with just such a system. Whether your final design is high- or low-tech, it must be clear to understand in any language, all weather conditions – including at night, and must be able to be operated without the cyclist taking their hands off the handlebars.