Poland Encourages Cycling By Making the Bike Path Glow-in-the-Dark

Yeah, you read it right. The path of the streets where cyclists tread in Lidzbark Warminski, north of Poland, is lit up with luminescent blue when night arrives. The path was designed by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o which unveiled their test in 2016. It was a project inspired by Studio Roosegaarde who designed the Starry Night bike lane, a dedication to the artist Van Gogh.

The synthetic material used contains phosphor, a chemical structure that absorbs the heat and light from the sun. At night when the light is gone, the road begins to glow and this holds up to 10 hours every day. This beautiful path is powered solely by the sun and is different from the LED-lit path from Studio Roosegaarde’s.

Researchers could choose a wide array of different color choices, but blue simply made sense to the midnight background. The result was simply gorgeous, and you can easily think this was an art. Everyone would think so until they see the cyclist logo.

The idea behind the project is to make cycling a fun & entertaining activity that you can enjoy any time. It also makes the path safer for night cyclists and replaces the street lights while looking aesthetic.

The path was still in the test phase when they were used, but many were hoping that it would soon become permanent.

Researchers are still looking for ways to reduce the cost which is considerably higher when the phosphor was used. They were also looking into ways to make the production and use of it to be more environmentally friendly.