Bicycle / Cycling

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Cycle Facility, Cycle Path, Bicycling, Cycle Touring

Category

Transport Facilities, Sports, Sporting Activities, Activities, Recreation, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of cycle facilities and the activity of cycling

	Source	Description
	CNIS	Side view of human figure riding on a racing bike
	SSRS	Side view of human figure riding cycle
	DER	Side view of human figure riding cycle
	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of human figure riding cycle
	ISO 7001	Side view of human figure wearing safety helmet, riding cycle
	BTA 1989	Side view of human figure riding cycle
	Handbuch wien.gv.at	Side view of human figure riding cycle, horizontal line below
	SIS	Side view of human figure wearing safety helmet, riding cycle
	Pierce	Side view of human figure riding cycle, bicycle shown as two circles only
	OÖ Touristik	Side view of human figure riding cycle, bicycle shown as two circles only
	Erco	Side view of human figure riding cycle, bicycle shown as two circles only
	Argentina MSV	Side view of racing bicycle
	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of bicycle
	France IISR	Side view of bicycle
	SWISSTRAFFIC	Side view of bicycle
	SVI	Side view of bicycle
	Aragón	Side view of bicycle
	Tern	Side view of bicycle
	BVG	Side view of bicycle
	BVG	Side view of ladies' bicycle
	Plastiroute	Side view of bicycle
	BTA 1989	Side view of bicycle
	Peru 2016	Side view of bicycle
	JCU	Side view of bicycle
	Handbuch wien.gv.at	Side view of bicycle
	Eco-Mo Foundation	Side view of bicycle
	Swiss Post	Side view of front part of a bicycle with headlight
	Pacific Bell	Side view of front part of a bicycle
	StVO 2012	Detailed side view of bicycle on blue ground
	GTS	Side view of bicycle on blue ground

Discussion

The examples shown above are only a small selection from the wide range of pictograms and symbols for Bicycle and Cycling that can be found as public information symbols and traffic signs in guiding systems worldwide. Some of these variants were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

The collection illustrates that only two concepts are dominating:

the side view of a human figure riding cycle
the side view of a bicycle

Differences concern primarily the number of details shown, but the concepts stay the same. Some variants like the IPS and the Erco versions are very minimalistic, showing just the human figure placed between two circles. The BVG variants by Meta Design Berlin were developed to avoid discrimination as most bicycle signs just depict models for men, but according to Abdullah & Hübner (2006) finally a unisex pictogram was preferred.

Comprehension Test results (Brugger, 1979) indicate that variants showing a human figure riding cycle elicit more responses concerning the activity of cycling, while responses for variants showing just the bicycle also included answers like 'Cycles for hire' and 'Bike parking area'.

In another Comprehension Test conducted in Japan, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation proved to be well comprehensable with a comprehension score of 94.6, even though the bicycle displayed is simplified quite a bit (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001).

When Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol similar to the version labled CNIS, only 75.4 % of the responses were classified as correct. Maybe the answer Velodrome, which was quite frequent, was judged as incorrect. It seems that showing a human figure on a racing bike is too specific for signifying Bicycle or Cycling in general.

Tests of pictograms of referent Bicycle / Cycling

Brugger, Ch. (1979): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated 09/79, Vienna.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.