Thanks for the pointer, Clarion - I listened to the programme on the iPlayer.
Two thoughts struck me. The first was Sinclair's advertising about how anyone could ride it, how you could get across town for next to nothing, how you could easily travel 5 miles for minimum effort... and I kept thinking, "bicycle... check". I think Sinclair went the wrong way with the C5 but a slow revolution in electric transport is developing pace, elsewhere in the world if not in the UK. Pedelecs seem to be growing in numbers across Europe, perhaps it will only be a matter of time when they start making an impact here. For non-cyclists an assisted bike that could manage the 8 mile journey to work and back would make two wheels much more attractive.
I was also amused by the outcry about how unsafe they were and how vehicles would be unable to see them. I think Sir Clive's response was quite right but not reasoned out - "of course they can see them!" Well, if we paint lines on the road for motorists to see, then surely they could see something 4ft high... I find this particularly ironic as I remember seeing a C5 after its launch in the 80s and thinking automatically "that's dangerous"... and now I ride around on a recumbent trike that's lower and faster and feel much "safer" than I do on an upright.
