This Glow-In-The-Dark Bike Path Is Powered By The Sun
On the right track to preventing nighttime accidents.
Poland is kicking the concept of a traditional bike trail to the curb.
On Sept. 23, the rural town of Lidzbark Warminski opened a short biking path that glows blue in the dark. Charging by day via the sun, the special section of trail is a new addition to a larger recreation path that leads up to Wielochowskie Lake.
European engineering company TPA sp. z o.o designed the technology that lights this segment of the bike path. The asphalt contains synthetic particles called “luminophores,” which at night emit power captured from sunlight, creating the electric blue hue. TPA says the glow lasts up to 10 hours, according to Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska.
This segment of bike trail isn’t just pretty; it’s also supposed to be practical.
“We hope that the glowing bicycle path will help prevent bicycle and pedestrian accidents at night,” Igor Ruttmar, TPA president and CEO, told ABC News. “It’s a problem here in Poland, especially in the areas farther from the cities that are darker and more invisible in the night.”
*If not for the avarice nature of fossil fuel companies, the entire planet could be well on its way to harnessing the suns energy in clean and safe effective ways.