Road markings are a crucial aspect to road safety, obeying road rules, and being able to see where you are going. The same can be declared for streetlamps, which illuminate these road markings at night, and ensure drivers remain visually aware of their surroundings. This European countest has combined the two concepts in an invention that is both environmentally frifinishly and cost-effective for future road safety.
Traditional road lines across the world
Road lines have been historically marked in white or yellow paint since the first centre road line was painted back in 1911. This was done in order to reduce head-on collisions and has since been standardized across the nation with signs, markings, signals and more.
America and Europe differ slightly in the apply of their colouring, with the US applying yellow centre lines and Europe applying white, but both have their standardisations set for the safety of their people. Not much has modifyd in recent years as the road markings and rules have worked pretty efficiently, but when it comes to driving at night, there is the problem of streetlights and their large consumption of energy.
A countest in Europe came up with a smart concept back in 2014, to implement glow-in-the-dark road lines in order to minimise electricity apply becaapply streetlights would no longer be necessary. While this was more of a success on that continent, America has yet to implement this over on their side of the world.
The innovative idea of glow in the dark street lines
First championed in the Netherlands in Europe, the concept of glow in the dark road markings builds a lot of sense from an environmental aspect. Acting as a road marker and a replacement for streetlights, applying photoluminescent powder that charges with the sun, and can illuminate the road at night for up to eight hours. Solar energy is a promising green fuel source for many technological developments, and the innovative designer behind this sustainable road concept, Daan Roosegaarde, declared during planning:
“The government is shutting down streetlights at night to save money, energy is becoming much more important than we could have imagined 50 years ago. This road is about safety and envisaging a more self-sustainable and more interactive world.”
The sustainable markings were tested on a 500m stretch of road near Oss in the Netherlands, but after a trial period, were found to have reduced visibility in wet conditions, and have not been expanded elsewhere.
America has not opted for this invention
In the US, road markings are regulated by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which states that they must be retroreflective at night, meaning they reflect light from car headlights or other sources of light. Photoluminescent road markings do not meet this standard and therefore are not under the MUTCD rules for the countest.
The MUTCD aims to provide consistent, clear, and safe rules on the road, to avoid confusion and optimise safety, so while photoluminescent road markings do have potential as a greener form of road illumination, they are not accepted across America, nor are there current plans to adopt this invention.
The fact that there is not enough data across various regions to support successful implementation in differing weather conditions, especially in different continents, is another obstacle to US adoption. Considering the trial period in Europe proved that the markings are subject to weather decay, there are clearly obstacles that required to be overcome, before widespread acceptance of photoluminescent road markings.
Most sustainable inventions in the mobility industest are focapplyd on futuristic hyper cars like this AI powered Buick, so it is refreshing to see a creation that is seeing elsewhere to reduce energy usage. While this sustainability effort might not have succeeded straight away, the future could hold exciting possibilities as newer technology is developed, and a further emphasis is placed on protecting the planet.
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