Who wants to ride on a blue glow-in-the-dark bike path?
Polish town deploys luminophore particles in the asphalt to light it up
You are not hallucinating — this is a glow-in-the-dark bike path that has actually been built in the rural town of Olsztyn, on Poland’s Lyna River.
At the moment it’s only 100m long as it’s currently being tested to see if stands up to weather and traffic, but early results look promising according to the company that made it, TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o.
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“It illuminates a very bright blue, which is gorgeous against the dark forest and river at night,” said company president Igor Ruttmar. “The glow is a very nice complement to the area’s beautiful nature, lakes, small hills and countryside.”
Starry night
It works by impregnating the asphalt with synthetic luminophores, designed to absorb energy from the sun during the day and slowly release it at night. TPA claims they can last for more than 10 hours at a time.
The bike path is said to be inspired by the Netherlands’ “Starry Night” bike path, which uses a solar generator and LEDs to stay lit. This new blue path needs no electricity whatsoever though. It was opened in late September, and tests are ongoing to see if the technology can be rolled out across the country.
