Student Design Awards winner: Chat-e-Cycle

WINNER: Brief 4, Healthy Routes - How might we make active travel accessible to the ageing population that will, in turn, make it better for all?

‘Chat-e-Cycle’ proposes design of a tandem bicycle linked to a community scheme allowing residents to unite on a side-by-side experience for transport, exercise and social connection in rural areas.

The UK has a population that is ageing and increasingly socially isolated (Government Office for Science, 2016). Many older people live rurally, with poor public transport and an over-reliance on cars. If a person can no longer drive, they lose their independence and a sense of isolation can intensify. Is active transport a promising carbon-neutral solution to help combat these issues? Chat-e-Cycle is a rural community scheme encouraging local residents to unite on a side-by-side electric tandem bicycle. The product and service offers transport, exercise and social connection through bike-riding adventures for the older population. This project is deeply rooted in the entrant’s previous career as a physiotherapist. Having embarked on her design education in September 2019, she is taking Chat-E-Cycle forward with a crowdfunding campaign which will enable her to work with relevant designers to turn the project into a reality.

Kate Mattick  

University College London 

National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) Award of £2,000