Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Weird ergonomics
Even though ergonomics as a discipline is fairly new, real ergonomics in consumer goods reached a peak around 1980 and has been declining since. Engineers are no longer paying primary attention to usability. Satisfying lawyers and satisfying the EPA Terrorist Army are vastly more important than satisfying the customer.
A truly odd excrescence of this bad trend: The newest buses bought by Spokane Transit have HORIZONTAL STEERING WHEELS, placed up at neck height. I don't mean "more nearly horizontal than car wheels". Bus and truck wheels have always been "more nearly horizontal". I mean EXACTLY FLAT. This is a return to pre-1900 truck practice, and it's completely unnecessary and dangerous. Obviously more difficult for the drivers. There's no way to do a fast one-palm spin, which is a common technique with the usual angled wheel and power steering. The driver has to use the smoker's hold, keeping both hands on the wheel and step-by-step feeding the wheel from one hand to the other. The height of the wheel forces wrists into an uncomfortable and stressful angle.
¶ 4:32 AM 
