JUST RIDE the BIKE

In the UK, one bike is stolen every 90 seconds and over 90% of reported bicycle crime goes unsolved. Understanding the frustration cyclists face every day, London-based startup Mosa has a solution. It wants to tackle this problem with "smart" innovation and they are inviting bicycle riders to help test their technology in a trial at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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Bicycle crime is a major issue and cyclists are forced to secure their own bikes and park them at their own risk. Secure locks are often expensive and heavy to carry. Mosa believes that "smart parking infrastructure" can tackle the bike security problem. The company has been working with Giant, the largest bike maker in the world, to develop smart lock technology that can convert standard racks into secure parking spaces for all sorts of bikes and cargo bikes and even e-scooters. The lock is built under the highest security guideline, SOLD Diamond, and it also has a smart theft detection alarm system to safeguard bikes.

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"If we want to get more people on bikes, cities need to address bicycle parking security issues for cyclists," said Josh Liu, Mosa's founder. "Cities might not be able to tackle this problem on their own. That is why we want to also bring forward-thinking space owners, developers, employers and communities together, to make bike parking more secure for cyclists."

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The company is planning its first UK public trial at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, scheduled for February 10th for a two-week period. The trial is being run in partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which is responsible for running the park and its surrounding neighbourhoods.

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LLDC is supporting MOSA through SHIFT London. Based in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, SHIFT is a growing, inclusive innovation district that activates collaboration and partnerships to power better urban futures. LLDC has been working with MOSA to help prevent bicycle theft in the Park through the use of innovative technologies. "We are excited to have the chance to collaborate with LLDC," said Josh Liu, the MOSA founder. "Their insight into managing the Park and nearby neighbourhoods really helps us shape our solutions to support a space owner who truly wants to support active travel."

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"We are really excited to see MOSA trialling their smart bike lock on the Park. SHIFT was established to help make our urban lives better and this is a great example of that vision in practice. This project came to us through one of our community meetings, which is one of the ways SHIFT brings local people together to encourage more inclusive and open innovation.” said Emma Frost, Director of Innovation, Sustainability and Community at LLDC

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This trial is particularly important for MOSA, as the company has previously agreed to run trials in oce buildings and business parks. The opportunity to work with LLDC and test their technology in a large neighbourhood is a great opportunity for MOSA to learn how to serve a "15-minute city" neighbourhood and gradually expand in a city. "SHIFT London offers us a great sandbox to try our innovation in the most forward-thinking area in the UK," said Laumet. MOSA is planning to build a success story based on their collaboration with LLDC and bring their innovation to more urban spaces in other cities.

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As the winner of the 2022 EiT Urban Mobility's City Raptor competition, MOSA has already had the chance to work with the Tel Aviv municipality and run a successful trial in Tel Aviv in November 2022. The company is excited to work with LLDC and run the trial in its home market, the UK, with the learnings from their Tel Aviv trial.

MOSA is seeking enthusiastic cyclists who regularly cycle to the Park to join the trial and test their smart lock technology. MOSA is also planning to use this opportunity to engage with the local community and gather their insight, to make sure they can work with LLDC to build a “cyclist first” neighbourhood for the community. Interested individuals can sign up for the trial at www.mosa.to/olympicpark

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