Cycling is one way to keep one’s carbon footprint low while staying in shape. In Poland, local company TPA has made it even more eco-friendly by creating a glow-in-the-dark bicycle path powered by the sun.
The luminous blue cycling strip is made from a synthetic material called phosphor that can glow for up to 10 hours once fully charged by solar energy during the day.
“The road can radiate throughout the whole night and re-accumulate light the following day,” shared Igor Ruttmar, CEO at TPA.
“This section of the bike trail isn’t just beautiful. It was created to serve a bigger purpose: safety.”
While inspired by the Netherlands’ Starry Night bike lane by design studio Roosegaarde, the difference is that the Dutch version use LED while the one created by TPA is solar powered. It is currently 100m long, but the company says it plans to expand to longer roads in the future.
“We hope that the glowing bicycle path will help prevent bicycle and pedestrian accidents at night,” Ruttmar told ABC News.
He continued that dark pathways are a problem in Poland, especially in city areas almost “invisible” at night.
“It illuminates a very bright blue, which is gorgeous against the dark forest and river at night. The glow is a very nice complement to the area’s beautiful nature, lakes, small hills, and countryside,” he added.
