Good Thinking

Glow-in-the-dark cycle path opens in the Netherlands

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The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path glows in the dark to shows cyclists the way
The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path glows in the dark to shows cyclists the way
The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is inspired by Van Gogh's The Starry Night painting
The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is part of a program to celebrate Van Gogh in 2015, the 125th year after his death
The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is covered in thousands of luminescent stones
The stones on the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde are charged by solar energy during the day and glow when it is dark
The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is designed to be safe, sustainable and experiential
A close-up view of stones on the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
A view along the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
A cyclist using the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
A view of the swirling patterns on the Van Gogh-Roosegaarde
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Cycling can be a precarious activity, especially in the dark. A new cycle path designed by Studio Roosegaarde, however, aims to make cycling in the dark a touch safer, whilst introducing an artistic element. The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde in Eindhoven glows in the dark to show cyclists the way.

The cycle path, developed in partnership with Heijmans, is the second output of a larger project by Studio Roosegaarde called Smart Highway, which aims to use different technologies to create the "interactive and sustainable roads of tomorrow." Last month saw the launch of the project's first output, a road with glow-in-the-dark markings.

The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is part of the existing Van Gogh cycle route in Brabant, Netherlands, and is inspired by one of the artist's famous paintings, The Starry Night. It is part of a program that will celebrate Van Gogh in 2015, the 125th year after his death.

The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde is designed to be safe, sustainable and experiential

The path features thousands of luminescent stones that are charged via solar energy during the day and glow when it gets dark. This means that, in addition to helping to light the cycle path and celebrating Van Gogh's work, the stones do not use any electricity. A similar principle is used by the Starpath system, which has been used to create a glow-in-the-dark pedestrian path in the UK.

The Van Gogh-Roosegaarde cycle path opened yesterday. The video below provides an introduction.

Source: Studio Roosegaarde, Heijmans

View gallery - 10 images
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3 comments
Odin Thorleifsson
Reminds me of the movie Avatar. Imagen interactive surfaces spread out in a forest that glow stronger when you touch them. I dont see it will work in combination with this glowing technique presented here. So, other means must be considered.
Slowburn
Certainly better that stinging bright lights across the sky.
christopher
Has anyone seen this for real? The video is clearly fake (actors are illuminated by a soft green floodlight out-of-scene), and we have no idea if they "primed" the path 1 minute before "action" using a HID UV light to make it glow (but I can promise they did, even though we have no proof yet).
My *guess* is it only glows for a really short time, so short that when it's actual night, you would not be able to notice the ground glowing at all.