Blaze Laserlight. TRL Study.

Transcription

1 Blaze Laserlight. TRL Study.

2 Section Introduction to Blaze Introduction to TRL Study TRL Key Tests TRL Tests Key Findings Bus Driver Perception Test Visibility Test Findings Visibility Under Different Urban Conditions Testimonials Contacts Pg

3 Introduction Emily Brooke founded Blaze in 2012 in London, England, with the vision of becoming world leaders in urban cycling technology. Blaze s first product, the revolutionary Blaze Laserlight, was created to tackle the biggest problem for city cyclists: being caught in the blind spot. The Laserlight was launched as a consumer product in late 2013 and adapted for bike share schemes in It has now been fitted to all London Santander cycle scheme bikes, with new products under trial in New York and further cities on the way. 75% of cyclists have said they feel more confident cycling with a Laserlight, and testing has demonstrated the visibility of a cyclist being improved by 30% from the perspective of a driver. The Laserlight can be adapted for a variety of bike designs, and Blaze can design bespoke solutions for schemes and operators. Blaze Laserlights are currently sold in bike share and cycle retail in over 60 countries, and continues to receive accolades and press attention. 3

4 4 Introduction to Blaze Laserlight TRL Key Tests 5 Introduction to TRL Study The Laserlight is the safest bike light on the road. It is a front light combined with a laser that projects a bike symbol 6 metres onto the road ahead. It gives cyclists a larger footprint on the road, alerts drivers to their approach and lets them be seen in situations where they are otherwise invisible. The Laserlight is also the first and only bike light tested by a fully independent research organisation. The following pages show the results of a study carried out by the world renowned Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) on the effectiveness of the Blaze Laserlight. The Key Tests A questionnaire of 53 bus drivers about their perceptions of the benefits of the Blaze Laserlight on London Cycle Hire scheme users Trials under different lighting conditions comparing the relative visibility of: A. Bicycles equipped with just LED lights B. Bicycles equipped with the Blaze Laserlight Appraising the actual visibility of the Blaze Laserlight under various urban conditions

5 6 TRL Tests Key Findings Key Findings The blind-spot areas around the vehicles caused by the limitations of their body shape and mirrors were significantly reduced by the Blaze Laserlight The Blaze Laserlight provided superior visibility over existing LED front cycle lights The percentage of maximum visibility at night to bus drivers improved from 72.4% with just the existing LED lights to 96.2% with the Blaze Laserlight. The improvement for other vehicles was 65% to 97% for a van, 56% to 66% for a car and 78% to 83% for a tipper lorry. The Blaze Laserlight image was very visible to a human observer across a range of surfaces

6 Bus Driver Perception Test 9 Bus Driver Perception Test In order to understand drivers perceptions of the Blaze Laserlight units, a semi- structured survey was produced (and agreed with TfL in London) which was administered one-to-one by TRL, with a target of 53 drivers. In order to prevent bias two separate depots from different bus companies were visited. Yes Maybe No Question Responses Yes Answers (%) Would the Blaze Laserlight make cyclists more visible to road users? Does the Blaze Laserlight make it easier for you to notice a cyclist on the road? Is it clear that the projected laser image indicates the presence of a cyclist? Would you know how to react if you saw the laser image projected near your bus? Would you like to see cyclists use the Blaze Laserlight? R R R R R

7 10 Visibility Test Findings Visibility Test Findings 11 Visibility Test Findings Below are the results of TRL s trial to assess the visibility of a Bike Share Scheme bicycle to a driver from different vehicles perspectives. The test compares the visibility of a bicycle equipped with a Blaze Laserlight with one that uses just a standard front LED light. High Visibility Limited Visibility Blind Spot Buses Vans Footprint Of LED Light At Night. 72.4%. Night-time Blaze Laser Visibility. 96%. Footprint Of LED Light At Night. 65%. Night-time Blaze Laser Visibility. 97%. Cars Tipper Lorry Footprint Of LED Light At Night. 56%. Night-time Blaze Laser Visibility. 66%. Footprint Of LED Light At Night. 78%. Night-time Blaze Laser Visibility. 83%.

8 Visibility Under Different Urban Conditions 13 Visibility Under Different Urban Conditions One of the key questions relating to the Blaze Laserlight is the relative visibility of the light under different ambient light types and levels and different surface types. The test agreed with TfL was to project the Blaze Laserlight from fixed positions on the footway onto a range of different road surfaces along a bus route, and to identify any road surface or environmental conditions where the Blaze Laserlight was not readily visible. The key conclusions The Blaze Laserlight could be seen adequately on all the colours of road surface tested Most surfaces in London tend to be black asphalt and the Blaze Laserlight generally gave good levels of visibility on these Rougher surfaces tended to be best as there was more opportunity for reflected light Visibility is good on antislip which is a common surface on the approach to junctions Shiny surfaces tend to offer the worst visibility The Laserlight was found not to be overly bright for anyone travelling in the same direction

9 14 Testimonials Testimonials 15 Santander s vision when signing up to sponsor the London Cycle Hire scheme was to make the experience of hiring a cycle, fun, rewarding and easy. We know that safety remains one of the barriers to some people trying the scheme and enjoying the benefits it offers both the individual and the wider community. Blaze is a London-based startup and we believe the use of its revolutionary Laserlight on Santander Cycles will help people riding to feel safer. Innovations in the scheme are something Santander and TfL are both committed to. We want to make it easier for more people to choose Santander Cycles to get around this great city. Testimonials Developing a laser light that could not only withstand the London weather but the demands of a bike share system took some ingenuity. Today we can see the results of all that effort rolling around the streets of London after dark. It was a great pleasure working with the entire team from Blaze and I would look forward to doing it again. Blake Perry Technical Systems Manager at London Cycle Hire Scheme Keith Moor Chief Marketing Officer at Santander The addition of Blaze Laserlights on our Santander Cycles is a great safety initiative... Our first priority is to protect the safety of all road users. We have received positive feedback throughout the trial and are confident that the new addition will encourage more cyclists, new or experienced, to use the bikes for commuting or leisure. James Mead General Manager of Santander Cycles at TfL

10 Contacts Emily Brooke Founder & CEO +44 (0) Philip Ellis Co-Founder & COO +44 (0) Blaze

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