Glow-in-the-dark cycle lane markings come a step closer

Road users’ organisation ANWB and construction group Heijmans have put their weight behind Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde’s plan to develop cycle lanes with light-emitting markings, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.

The Glowing Lines project involves road markings which absorb light during the day and emit it again at night. Launched by Roosegaarde earlier this year, the ANWB and construction group Heijmans now plan to take it a step further and look for suitable locations.

The ANWB has urged its millions of members to nominate cycle paths which would be suitable for the new markings. ‘This is a test,’ Heijmans spokeswoman Marieke Swinkels told the Volkskrant. ‘We are in a process of innovation… and the plan is becoming more concrete step by step.’

Heijmans has already developed the appropriate light-giving markings in its laboratories and has tested them outdoors. The paint continues to glow for at least eight hours, a far cry from ‘glow-in-the-dark’ decorations for children’s bedrooms, Swinkels said.

The company declined to say which paint company it is working with.

Roosegaarde says the Glowing Lines project is part of a new wave of citizens’ initiatives. ‘Look at how people are taking charge of their energy provision and building their homes,’ he told the paper. ‘This project is on a par with them.’

Roosegaarde and Heijmans are also involved in the development of the Van Gogh cycle path in Eindhoven, a 600-metre route studded with light stones in the area where Van Gogh used to live. That route is due to open next year.

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