The InclusiveSpaces project, co-funded by the European Union, is dedicated to creating urban environments that are inclusive for everyone, particularly those in vulnerable situations. The project’s consortium is composed of 17 partners that, building upon a baseline for accessible and inclusive urban environments, reimagine accessibility across all aspects of life. This is achieved through innovative planning and design tools as well as assistive technologies. A key contributor is Triple Tread, an innovative start-up offering an alternative to the traditional upright tricycles in the market today. Founded by Mark Harrison, the company develops innovative cycling solutions tailored for all individuals who need them – including people with physical disabilities, balance challenges, or prosthetics. Mark’s inspiration for Triple Tread stems from personal experience and a desire to both breakdown stigmas and make cycling accessible to a broader community. Join us for an insightful interview with Mark Harrison, in which he shares Triple Tread’s role and ambitions in the InclusiveSpaces projects, the unique features of their tricycles, the challenges they’ve faced, and their vision for transforming the future of inclusive cycling.
The Inspiration Behind Triple Tread
Mark Harrison founded Triple Tread in 2014 when his Multiple Sclerosis symptoms were affecting his walking ability and balance. He wanted to be able to travel longer distances without a carer, a motorised vehicle or a wheelchair. “I searched for cycles suited to my needs but found the options uninspiring — lacking in design, technology, and appeal,” he explains. “A shopping experience for a new bike should be all about bright colours, vibrant brands, exciting technology and lightweight materials. For the disabled rider, the experience can be like going into a sweet shop and the only offer being colourless candy.”
What he wanted to achieve with Tiple Tread was to increase the choice of cycles for a vulnerable community. “I wanted to overcome some of the stigma associated with the existing products geared towards disabled individuals,” he adds, “I wanted to create something cool, a trike that I could feel proud to ride. One that I could ride while feeling included and engaging with others.”
In this way, Triple Tread aims to empower individuals with disabilities to ride not only for practical purposes but also with pride and dignity. “It goes beyond looks, but looks were very important,” Mark explains. Tested by a diverse group of individuals—including Paralympians, people living with Cerebral Palsy and Down syndrome, and a triple-amputee veteran—Triple Tread demonstrates that cycling is for everyone, regardless of physical and/or balance challenges: that’s the importance of having three stable wheels on the ground.
“We also want these individuals to have a similar shopping experience to their friends and family, without needing to shop for disability cycles in a different location. Triple Tread has been designed to look similar to a standard bicycle and use many standard components, and we hope that it becomes available through standard retail channels.”
Triple Tread in the InclusiveSpaces Project
Triple Tread’s contribution to the InclusiveSpaces project stems from a shared vision for accessibility. Mark Harrison was approached by the Technical University of Munich and invited to join the project consortium while he was at the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress sponsored by the European Institute of Technology, to participate in an expert panel on inclusivity and accessibility.
“It’s been an empirical design process, and we’ve designed the tricycle using the principles of universal design, which is also a cornerstone of the InclusiveSpaces project,” Mark points out. “It’s no use really to design a product for one person because people are all different – even people with a very specific condition can be very different,” he continues. “It’s important to maintain the development and testing process, and the InclusiveSpaces project will allow us to expand the reach and impact of Triple Tread across Europe.”
“We’re excited to test the trike in Hamburg and Budapest, gathering valuable feedback from people with disabilities and the ageing community,” Mark shares. “The project has also enabled us to connect with European technology leaders that are heavily involved in cycling, such as Bosch.” Through the consortium’s networks and insights, Triple Tread aims to refine its designs and ensure that the final product is available through standard retail channels and also caters to a broad range of needs.
Beyond product innovation, Mark emphasizes a deeper mission: fostering ongoing dialogue about disability and inclusion. “I hope we can be an important part of maintaining the dialogue around disability products going forward,” Mark says. “It’s not just about being included in conversations about products and policies but about ensuring people with disabilities are integral to the discussion. Too often, they’re considered as an afterthought rather than central to the process.”
He adds, “Through our involvement in this EU-funded project, I hope it becomes more of the norm to always consider disabilities. The disability community is often more resourceful and creative to innovative solutions, yet it is frequently ignored. InclusiveSpaces gives us an opportunity to change that by embedding these principles into mainstream thinking.”
Challenges and Breakthroughs
Bringing Triple Tread to life has involved overcoming many challenges, with funding being one of the most significant. “Startups developing physical products often face more difficulty securing funding compared to those working on digital products,” Mark explains. “Thanks to support from EIT Urban Mobility and Horizon funding, we’ve been able to access grants that have helped us move forward.”
Technical challenges have also been a major hurdle. Through an empirical design process, the team developed a new geometry for the trike to address specific issues, leading to the creation of a patented design. “The process has taken much longer than I originally expected,” Mark admits. “But tenacity and resilience have been key. It was important to ensure the product was right, and that required time, effort, and collaboration. We worked with a number of people to test the trike and refine the design, staying true to the principles of universal design.”
This careful, iterative approach has allowed Triple Tread to create a product that is not only stylish and functional but meets the diverse needs of its users.
Innovative Design: A Balance of Form and Function
One standout feature of the Triple Tread trike is its patented Tiltrahedron™ steering mechanism, a solution that addresses stability challenges common in three-wheeled designs. “The basis of a tadpole tricycle is a tetrahedron triangle, and when you steer in one way, the seat leans the other way. So, what we did to make it more intuitive as to create a new geometric shape, which I’ve called a tetrahedron. As the tricycle leans to the left, the seat also leans to the left, the same way a bicycle would,” Mark explains.
In addition, traditional delta-style tricycles may easily fall over when manoeuvring at speed, and this can make them difficult to ride for individuals with balance challenges.
“We’ve maintained a standard bicycle floor plan and rear drive system, ensuring ease of maintenance and adaptability,” says Mark. “This means users can modify features like seating, handlebars, and braking controls.”
Creating a Lasting Impact
Mark sees Triple Tread as the start of something bigger. “What I’d like most is for this product to inspire more options for people with disabilities and to challenge the stigma that often comes with these designs,” he explains. As part of the InclusiveSpaces project, Triple Tread is more than a tricycle—it’s a symbol of innovation and inclusivity. “We hope Triple Tread becomes a catalyst for future designs that prioritize both style and functionality,” says Mark.
The InclusiveSpaces project supports this vision by focusing on products and policies that communities and cities can adopt. “I see InclusiveSpaces as a way to develop ideas that truly include people with disabilities,” Mark says. “It’s also about keeping the conversation going and making sure these ideas are taken seriously and improved over time.”
This week, the InclusiveSpaces project held its General Assembly in Penteli, Greece, bringing together all partners to review progress and outline future milestones. This meeting underscored the project’s collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to creating inclusive urban environments.
Join Triple Tread and InclusiveSpaces in their mission to redefine urban mobility and build inclusive cities. Follow the InclusiveSpaces journey and discover how innovation is breaking down barriers to create a more accessible world.
ERTICO, as leader of the project’s communication, dissemination and exploitation activities, will continue to raise awareness about the importance of inclusiveness and to promote the project’s results, innovations and their uptake beyond the project.
