Netherlands experiments with 'glowing roads'

Cars increasingly incorporate new technical features, a trend that should also be applied to roads to achieve goals such as increasing safety, reducing the risk of accidents or improving their energy efficiency. The curious experiment we tell you about below, which is part of a project seeking to create smart roads, works on this latter challenge.

Can you imagine roads that light up as we pass, so that the path is clearly marked by fluorescent lines? It sounds futuristic, but it is already being tested on a stretch of road in the Netherlands, where the usual white lines have been painted with a luminescent powder capable of absorbing the energy of sunlight during the day and releasing it at night as vehicles pass over it.

The ultimate goal of this project would be to replace the thousands of street lamps on either side of our roads, which have a high energy cost as well as installation and maintenance costs, with this system, which would be simpler and cheaper. For now, it is still in the experimental phase, since aspects such as its deterioration when the lines are run over by vehicles, or simply from exposure to the open air, must be evaluated.

This idea is part of the ‘Smart Highway’ project by Studio Roosegaarde, which is well worth a look because they are working on interesting and futuristic ideas, such as roads that warn drivers about weather conditions, and much more. Some ideas may not come to fruition, but this work and research may yield interesting things that help us improve our roads.

Vía | Think Big