Alec Geluykens, a student at KdG's Sint Lucas campus in Antwerp, has come up with an unusual bicycle as part of work to obtain his master's degree. The bike is an art installation that castigates Antwerp's inadequate cycling infrastructure using humour and irony. In order to cope with riding on poorly maintained bike paths the bike has suspension features more routinely seen on a moped.
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Arts student designs 'ideal bike' to survive Antwerp’s dangerous traffic
Colin Clapson
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Geluykens' installation addresses obstacles many Antwerp cyclists face including long waiting times at traffic lights and poorly maintained cycle paths. It also draws attention to poorly placed buttons designed to request a green light, dangerous tram tracks and even a cycle bridge that ends in steep stairs.
To cope with the latter, 3 extra wheels were mounted on top of the bike. Geluykens also installed a coffee machine on the bike’s rack to make long waits at lights pleasanter. A long telescopic arm can also be used to reach awkwardly placed request buttons.
BTS_200X is the title of Geluykens's installation. It is his Master's project at Antwerp's Sint Lucas University of Applied Sciences. The name refers to the abbreviation of 'Bike To Survive' and 200X refers to Antwerp's postal codes, which start with 2000.
Geluykens will ride with his bike installation on Friday 31 May during the monthly Critical Mass event in Antwerp. A Critical Mass sees cyclists ride through the streets of the port city to show support for a more bike-friendly city. You can also see the installation during the Sint Lucas' end-of-year exhibition from 19 to 23 June.