Light Lane concept would protect cyclists, bring Tron to life
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jan 16th 2009 11:03PM
posted Jan 16th 2009 11:03PM
Sadly, there doesn't seem to even be so much as a prototype of this one just yet, but we're certainly hoping that this so-called Light Lane dreamed up by Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude sees the light of day sooner rather than later. The idea, as you can see above, is to project a bike lane wherever the cyclist travels, which would give drivers a clearer indication of where not to tread than a simple safety light or reflector is able to do. The key to the setup is, of course, frickin' lasers, though it seems you'd have to provide your own "zoooommmmm" sounds as you pedal around town.
Some poor drunk is gonna wonder why the bike lane is red, and why it popped up and then disappeared.
if the drunk is driving, i don't feel too sorry for him.
Wheres this guy's Helmet and reflective jacket???
I want one that projects a green traffic light in front of me, so I always have the right of way.
I shudder at the notion that "no helmet" makes a bad biker. The species had no problem surviving without them before someone came up with the thought that you could make lots of money from fear, and even more if you could get legislators to impose your product on them even if it is of next to no use. Luckily, it is still legal to ride without the impenetrable protection of the helmet in some countries.
On the other hand, the biker in the picture lacks both lights and reflectors and features a bad choice of clothing (rather dark and no reflectors) for night-driving. Maybe it is supposed to illustrate how helpful the product is in a "you can see even those stupid ones" way.
Why this laser graffiti has to be red, yellow will be much more striking.
Yellow is clearly not as lethal as red.
red goes faster.
and it doesn't go PEW PEW
You guy's are so hilariously funny.
Yellow would be annoying to drivers.
Red is more soothing to the eyes while still being noticeable.
Red is the most visible color in the spectrum: the last to disappear at sunset.
It is also widely used as a warning color, e.g. fire trucks. For something like this you do not want 'soothing'.
Red signifies a target ;)
Sodium street lighting is yellow so it would need a stronger projection to make it as visible.
Neon Lasers are cheaper and only project red light
I want a customizeable laser light system so I can write things on the road as I ride, or maybe make skull and crossbones shapes with disembodied hands. The possibilities may be endless! Maybe a stream of tentacles following me down the road. How about a constantly changing chromogram of rainbows. I would like to ride on a Chromogram of Rainbows!
I'll wait for the dual use one - laser bike land and laser weapon. That way I can disable the car of a jerk driver who does not respect my light lane!
What America needs is not an installation cost of $5,000 to $50,000 per mile, but more drivers who are drivers and cyclists aware of their surrounding.
watch----------.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM
You might want to re-read the article.
Not just 'America'. This idea would only ever have limited installation, and could actually reduce safety where authorities cannot afford to install them (e.g. around the corner from a street with a light lane). Drivers would become accustomed to looking for a light lane: no lane, no cyclists.
Instead, why not have cyclists carry the lane with them? Better lighting systems for bikes is the answer; create the lane as you travel, light up like an xmas tree.
actually, I didn't read the article. Seems we're on the same wave length, to coin a pun.
man, this guy makes us other brown people look bad
i lived in india up until grade 6, (now canada)
and i like the North American Drivers MUCH BETTER
maybe its the fact that not as many of my relatives die from auto realted accidents
seriously, with that video you cant critisize american driving. learn your facts.
ps. you discredited yourself by not reading the article proplery
pps. wont this device make the actual lane for driving narrower, creating a problem?
Needs integrated "turn signals to show predicted path!
So it's projected from a bike, and not a street light or something? Sounds neat.
I could use it when biking around suburban NW Houston. There so many cars passing through the roads here, that it can be so dangerous. Especially at night. There never seems to be any bikers around this area, so people aren't careful enough.
This would be useful to bike the 4 miles to school. In the morning, at least during winter, it's still dark in the morning and if I want to make it on time, I'd have to leave early. This could be handy, if it's affordable...
Cursor!
This is actually a pretty cool idea. It doesn't get rid of the annoyance that bike drivers ride on the street even when the sidewalk is empty, but still. It is less of an issue where I live since I am in a large city, I can just change the lane to go around them. However, in a small city like my grandparents live in with two lane roads, thats a little less convenient. Its actually surprising how difficult it is to see some bikes late at night unless they have some sort of blinker, the reflectors aren't that effective until you are a bit too close for comfort. It would take awhile for some drivers to get what it is though.
thats because its illegal to bike on the sidewalk. but im sure you already knew that
"It doesn't get rid of the annoyance that bike drivers ride on the street even when the sidewalk is empty"
Umm... have you read the rules concerning bicycling lately? Most regions outlaw bicycling on sidewalks. Bicyclists are supposed to ride on the road towards the right side... not on the sidewalk.
Other than that, as I cyclist, I appreciated the rest of your comments.
Most of the sidewalks in my city that parallel major roads are extra wide specifically for bikes. Most are even labeled as such. That is the annoyance for me that I have to get over when they have their own "lane" I understand it if there isn't a paralleling bike lane. However, biking on even normal sidewalks is not illegal here, there was a thing in the paper about it not too long ago. I knew it was not courteous, I never new it was completley illegal in some locals though.
As pointed out biking on the sidewalk is frequently illegal. Not only that, but it is also extremely dangerous for cyclists, as it reduces visibility to cars, especially cars turning from the street. Without a bike-specific lane, riding in the street is the safest alternative for everyone.
Almost every car-bike collision I've seen in my life (and I've seen more than several) has involved bikes riding on the sidewalk and trying to negotiate an intersection. It's an incredibly dangerous way to ride-- Cars don't expect to see you coming, and even if they do, your visibility is often limited by parked cars, pedestrians, greenery, etc.
You're correct; some cities (especially in the south) do provide "bike-specific" or "multi-use" sidewalks for bikes, but these are developments undertaken by officials from the driver's perspective, with little to no understanding of what makes cycling along public roads safe and predictable. As a dedicated and none-to-timid rider (I've been riding in downtown NYC for most of my life, and now live in Pittsburgh), I find myself scared shitless from personal experience at the thought of riding a sidewalk, bike-specific or not. I generally prefer to dismount and walk if there is no way for me to reach a destination other than the sidewalk.
Where I live, just outside of Toronto in a city named Brampton, Ontario, We have the usual concrete sidewalks for pedestrians then to a little green patch of grass and then a single asphalt bike lane right next to the the green patch but still above the road since it is to the right of the curb... then we have the curb and the road... Now that seems like the best way to ensure the safety of cyclists.
Personally, I am aware of three bicycle/car collisions that have happened involving people that I know. Although I have also witnessed a few 'wipe outs' take place in the road, that could easily have lead to collisions if cars were near.
One was a cyclist riding in the road, that tried to ride past my driveway as my girlfriend was attempting to back out of it. My neighbor has a large mailbox that is hard to see around, and because of this, she could not see him coming. He on the other hand, having a clear view of car with reverse lights on, inching closer to the road, obviously trying to back out but waiting for cars to clear, thought it made more sense to quickly ride past rather than stop in the road and sit waiting for her to back out. It just so happened that as soon as there was a clearing for her to back out, he came from no where and she hit him, he flipped over his handle bars etc. etc. Had he been on the sidewalk, there would be no obstructions blocking her view of him, and a simple 'ride around the car' could have been done on his part, with plenty of room to spare. An entire yard and drive way, in fact.
The second was a friend of a friend around the age of 18. He was riding on the side of a semi busy road and a car lost control and merely clipped him. He was killed.
And the third is something that has stayed with me for a long time, and comes to mind every time I have to swerve around someone in the road.
One of my mom's old friends was driving home to her birthday party (it was her birthday). A cyclist was riding in the road. As she tried to pass him, he lost control of his bike and fell into her path. There was nothing she could do, and she ran over the mans head, killing him. She did nothing wrong, yet still had to go through the ordeal of an involuntary manslaughter trial of which she was found innocent. Nevertheless, she killed someone, and has been emotionally scared ever sense, and has yet to celebrate another birthday.
It sounds like something cheesy from Lifetime, but its true, and horrible. While there are many dangers that come with riding on a side walk (or roller blading, or scootering, or walking for that matter)... I fail to see the logic in riding a bicycle in close proximity to large moving vehicles traveling at decent speeds. One mistake or accident from either party can potentially lead to certain death. This is why sidewalks were created in the first place, and why I road my bicycle on them as a child, learned proper bicycle riding safety in elementary school, practiced it, and never had an issue.
You're quite full of it chase.
Maybe if the biker pictured had lights on his bicycle he'd be a little safer. Perhaps some sort of reflective clothing couldn't hurt either.
"we're certainly hoping that this so-called Light Lane dreamed up by Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude sees the light of day sooner rather than later" I see what you did there.
Also, we have this exact same system (sans the lasers, but the paint is reflective) in the northern Chicago suburbs.
Your bicycles draw paint as they move?
This idea seems to be lacking in a few respects. First of all, wherever the hell any stupid bicyclist rides - is the "bike lane"? Makes no sense whatsoever. How about down the middle of the freeway? It just seems like a half-assed concept. The whole point of having painted bike lanes is so the bike has a stationary trajectory - and 4000+ lb. vehicles have a likewise predictable path. A "bike lane" projected by laser projected from the bike makes the "bike lane" just as unpredictable as the bicyclist himself.
This doesn't account for a drunk who has to ride a bike because his/her license is suspended. Plus, has anyone ever thought that some drivers might find this so annoying that they feel even more compelled to hit the bicyclist?
agreed; dumb idea.
Plus why would the average Joe want to take the cost burden himself, using his batteries (at his expense) when he already pays taxes for visible paint and maintenance of roads?
A solution looking for a problem, and like most things these days, it's pretty short-sighted. Hate to see two or more bikes close to each other, too. More distractions for all!
As if bike lights and reflective gear and helmets are not enough to indicate a bike rider is present...
Jamie, a drunk on a bicycle can still be charged with a DUI/DWI... a bicycle is still a vehicle.
I would buy and ride a bicycle just for this product!
Although a cool concept, I believe that the first fundamental step is to require all bikes to ride with front and rear lights. most cities require such but not everyone does it and its not really enforced. the Front lamp should output at least 100 lumens and the rear should be flashing red. The brighter the better.I have a mountain biking light that outputs 500 lumens. overkill since its brighter than my car headlamps but for me its just fine.
This isn't to make a "lane" for you, it so that cars have a better guesstimation on how close to pass. Most states have a 3ft passing law, but most drivers will pass much closer if there isn't a designated space.
It's also illegal on most states to ride at note without lights.
Sidewalks are for pedestrians not bikes! A bike has just as much legal right to the road as a car.
I suppose this might be an interesting supplemental safety tool for cyclists, but I don't see this being very effective by itself. The biggest problem with nighttime cycling is visibility. I don't see this "light lane" concept as enhancing visibility compared with a traditional taillight. In fact, it seems like it would lower a rider's visibility, relatively speaking, because it will draw the driver's eyes down to road level rather than to the bicycle and would force the driver to interpret the strange, moving lines on the pavement. A simple taillight is effective because it alerts the driver that there is something in front of him or her, and because it is a simple point of light, it allows the driver to simultaneously judge the object's speed, direction and distance and steer clear appropriately without needing to decipher strange patterns on the road.
A bicycle lane works because it separates bikes from cars; cars never drive in the bike lane (well, they're not supposed to, anyway). This business of "creating" a bike lane won't work. If a cyclist is using this light lane device, we can assume they're riding where a car would normally drive. In that case, a car will not be expecting a bike lane, so trying to create one will merely lead to confusion on the part of the driver. A lane implies a continuous section of road designated for travel. In order for a car to avoid or travel in a distinct lane, they need to be able to know where it is and anticipate it, something obviously not possible with this concept. The best remedy for riding where cars would normally expect to drive unencumbered is to let the driver know as clearly as possible that there is an obstacle to avoid. Cyclists get hit because cars can't see them (assuming no error or illegal driving/riding), not because they're just riding in the road and need more space. If a cyclist were truly worried about space, they would take the lane. A simple, bright light works better to alert drivers than a complex pattern of light projected onto the road. Most vehicles will steer well clear of your bike when well-informed about your presence on the road--the ones that don't do so intentionally and are assholes, and you can't really do much about how they drive, regardless of how high-tech your lights are.
The picture above shows a cyclist with no taillight or other way of alerting cars to his presence other than a fairly dim set of lines and a small bicycle symbol. You might as well make your appointment at the hospital and/or morgue now if you are foolish enough to ride like that at night. I know I would never entrust my life to this contraption, as my commute becomes suicidal at night without appropriate visibility (one could argue it's still suicidal). I appreciate the effort put forth by the creators of this concept, but it is sadly misdirected.
wow great for when it snows!
dumb idea.
light still reflects off snow, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see it.
Re-read the article.
The light comes from a laser, that sits above ground. Eg. Not on the pavement.
Just when you thought spandex-clad cyclists traveling on a busy, narrow road at night could not get anymore obnoxious.
wait....you guys dont have this already?
We have it in California, because well, we're just THAT AWESOME. :D