Posted by Les Faber in Being a resident of Canada, I deal with a very short cycling season. Being a resident of Ottawa, it is even shorter! So when the season gets going, we Canadians get cycling. This often results in after work rides that bring us further away from home then our original plans had us going. Last season alone I was way to far away from home — far too often. The end result? A ride in the dark. Simply put, this is not safe. I have bike lights and reflective clothing. But I often wonder what automobilists see and how safe my ride really is.
My friend Greg sent me a link to an article that is worth reading. Night time safety is a big concern for cyclists. So any technology that could help is welcome.
There may be another way: the LightLane, still an idea, but an ingenious one. A laser mounted on the rear of the bike projects sharp, bright lines behind the cyclist, creating a virtual and movable bike lane. In principle, the LightLane gives drivers a boundary, a way of measuring their distance from the cyclist, and creates for cyclists the sense – even if illusory – of their own space on the road.
The LightLane was created by Americans Evan Gant and Alex Tee, who entered the project in an online bicycle-design competition. Gant, an industrial designer, and Tee, a mechanical engineer, work for the Boston-based product-development firm Altitude.
Their objective was to encourage commuting by bicycle. People are reluctant, they believed, partly out of fear of riding at night, especially during winter when darkness falls before the evening ride home. They concluded bike lanes were part of the solution. Then they let their imagination run free.
I like the concept and hope that these guys can get it off the ground!
You can learn more here.
