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12 responses to “LightLane”

1. 

   Anonymous

   January 19, 2009

   Technically imaginative, but potentially very harmful. This “virtual bike lane” would imply that there is a full car lane to the left (or right) of the cyclist. A car trying to maneuver with a good understanding of bike lanes could create a very dangerous situation with traffic either oncoming or in the same direction. Also it would look completely incomprehensible with riders 2 abreast or one rider passing another.

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2. 

   B. Nicholson

   January 20, 2009

   This idea requires testing and refinement. Various projections might give drivers optical illusions or misinform drivers about the bicycle identification or relative speed of the rider. A bicycle speed projection onto the pavement, along with a triangle, could be useful where a too fast moving dashed line might not. A color change for higher speeds could color code bike riders, motorcycle riders, and rocketmen.
   A guided laser based upon accurate GPS data could paint all the roads for everybody, add some satellite sensor data and ice patches could be marked for all to see.
   We could get rid of streetlights altogether, ditto all those millions of gallons of paint slopped onto roadways every year, too. Lasers would be cheaper. All the signs, too, we could laser that information onto the roads for drivers to read, too, based upon GPS coordinates. Imagine no more roadsigns, no more stop signs, no more traffic signs, everything on a little screen in front of you.
   Of course a road display of laser illumination could be just one of many cheaper alternatives, too. The state would have to control it all with electronic license tags, saving many tons of metal carried around on the back and often fronts of millions of cars making them heavier and less efficient.
   What do we have all those computers for if not for keeping up with such stuff? License tags on cars are as smart as putting all the information about a package’s destination on the package and then losing the package (e.g. the US postal service). (I invented ‘click and ship’ although my name was ‘the virtual post office’.)

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3. 

   B. Nicholson

   January 20, 2009

   Sorry, sometimes I just get carried away. Chain thinking, I call it.

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4. 

   Will

   January 20, 2009

   I’d be more interested in a system that illuminates the back of the bike and cyclist in red, but without projecting that light forward which would confuse oncoming drivers. This way drivers approaching from the rear would see the whole cyclist.

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5. 

   Yokota Fritz

   January 20, 2009

   I knew I had seen something like that before; thanks for linking to my brief post that I forgot about! 🙂

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6. 

   E.DeGolier

   January 23, 2009

   While I never got around to finishing a concept this was an idea I sketched up as well. For all the no-cyclists I know the main barrier to cycling (in London) is the perception of danger from cars passing closely. I like the use of lasers to crisply define the lane and I really doubt it would encourage car drivers to behave any more dangerously than they do now. They have centre line markers on many roads and have to use their judgment on narrower roads repeatedly even without bikes. I’d be more concerned that even the laser light would get washed away in headlights, making it ineffective. The other problem is that non-cyclists are probably the least likely to get out at night. So it may not be addressing the right crowd.
   I do like the idea of encouraging drivers to keep a larger gap. I think it is a more feasible solution than cocooning the rider like the winning entry does. Can you imagine trying to park that thing in a crowded downtown area, or dragging it up to your 2nd floor flat to avoid the inevitable vandalism bicycles see?

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7. 

   Mark

   January 31, 2009

   mm wouldn’t the projected light disappear under much brighter head lights?

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8. 

   Scott in Seattle

   February 3, 2009

   I get the same desired effect with the two-tube version of the Down Low Glow from RockTheBike.com. I’ve directed the half-silvered neon tubes to give me a three- or four-foot pool of light on the street on either side of the bike. Cars now give me a wider berth than they formerly did, as if they’re afraid to drive through the light. (I ride a Brompton. Because of the fold, I can’t put the neon tubes on the bottom of the main tube, so I put one on each side.)

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9. 

   Darcy 200th

   February 12, 2009

   From a transportation planner perspective:
   The concept of motor-vehicle operator obstacle/signage visibility is lacking. All ground paint used on roads is visible at very low angles (i.e. from far away) in low light situations. The lasers wouldn’t be visible until the driver is right next to, and if travelling at sufficient speed, ontop of the cyclist.
   You would be better off, as some comments suggest, to have a flourescent ‘halo’ or ground effect around your bike, as opposed to lasers.

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10. 

    Anonymous

    August 29, 2009

    I don't know where you all live, but here in France it would not be useful.
    Virtual or real bike lanes, car drivers won't pay attention to bikes.

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11. The LightLane concept is moving forward | Bicycle Design

    March 2, 2010

    […] may remember about 6 months ago when I posted the LightLane concept, which was designed by two Altitude employees, Evan Gant and Alex Tee. Their concept, which […]

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12. Laserprojecties in plaats van geluidsoverlast om levens te redden in het verkeer | Samen Elektrisch

    June 13, 2011

    […] rijdt en die met verlichte strepen op het wegdek de weg vrij maakt. Zoals bij voorbeeld in de lightlane. Het voordeel van BLAZE is dat er geen infrastructuur voor nodig is. En dus geen geluidsoverlast. […]

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