Light Lane concept would protect cyclists, bring Tron to life
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 16th 2009 11:03PM
posted January 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.
(that was 100% sarcasm btw)
Remember that taxi in "The Money Pit" with all the lights blinking.....that's the sort of thing that dumbass cyclists need to wear to ward off dumbass drivers. (I am both cyclist & driver, dumbass or otherwise =).
It's a nice idea but I don't see it helping much, a thin red line starting a foot in front and behind of a bike won't make you much more visible. Some good safety lights and education on the part of drivers would make a bigger difference imo.
NO! Requires batterys or alternators on youre bike and that sucks.
I want a clean frame. Just make wearable kenetic chargable lights. So that if you get off the bike you are still visable to traffic.
And a thing that helps like no other is reflective tape. My bike is covered in it. I doesnt break it doesnt bother me. It doesnt look stupid in daylight.
And like most things driving behaviour is also key.
We have tonnes of bike lanes in Cambridge (England) and they are useful if you're a casual cyclist. Completely pointless if you cycle at any sort of speed though because they cross junctions (where the cyclist has to give way), include right hand turns (what the hell, seriously) and are often strewn with glass and grit kicked up by car tyres. It's often much safer and quicker to cycle just to the right with the traffic - this is what most of the serious road racers here do.
Some car drivers don't like it, and the law obliges cyclists to use a cycle lane whereever one is provided but it's generally understood that the cycle lanes suck.
In addition, the cycle lanes don't cover all roads - you end up cycling with the traffic most of the time anyway. The sad thing is that Cambridge is relatively advanced in catering for cyclists compared to the rest of the U.K. (it also has the best road safety record - this is probably due to the large budget they have for roadworks). This might also be because drivers are used to handling cyclists and giving them appropriate care since it's very likely they know several colleagues / family members who cycle.
Of course, cycle lanes are no substitute for actually wearing lights - there are a large number of students here who risk cycling at night without them.
This is quite a cool concept, can see it getting slightly confusing when cyclists weave through traffic (as I have often done) in big cities - e.g. central London.
We know there are students, both by the name and by you mentioning glass on the bicycle lanes, nothing is more amusing to drunk 'intelligent' students than tossing their empty bottles on bike lanes, then when they graduate they become 'concerned leaders of the country'.
Of course that's why any half-way decent town makes sure they have sweeping carts driving around every day, especially in student areas, but I guess thinking that up is too taxing for cambridge's town council.
Life in the Light Lane
Surely make you loose your mind.
Life in the Light Lane
the colors are oh so bright.
Lasers on the street would never be allowed, when it rains or something shiny is on the road the reflection would blind people and make them hit things.
Yea. This is good. Safe too! Idiots driving cars are doing everything BUT that... driving that is. They're eating, shaving, primping, watching their GPS because they have zero sense of direction, playing with their dogs on their laps or their kids in the front seat where they shouldnt be, arguing, did I say eating and drinking? Oh yea. And, dumping their crappy expensive coffee on the street so you, behind them, can run over their over-sugared brown hot water. They're watching DVDs that they illegally install into the front of the compartment, listening to music too loudly or on headphones and.... tailgating everyone, speeding, not stopping at stop signs or right-on-red's... talking on the phone while completely OBLIVIOUS to the task at hand-> DRIVING.
So, do YOU want to get on a bike on the roads with these idiots? I dont even feel safe IN A CAR with the idiots around me.
Also, when did we impose a tax on bicyclists so that the money can go to pay the upkeep of the bike lane's ON THE ROAD that 95% of the people will never be using, arent allowed to drive on but the money has to come from somewhere.
Dont forget people - driving is a priviledge. NOTHING more. Its NOT a right. That goes for you, too, kiddies who's whacko parents raised them without the word NO in their vocabularies. REAL life is very different than your parents' whacked out teachings.
Driving is a right since you pay taxes and elect politicians that know you want to drive and they make the laws or in other words the 'rights'.
Looks completely incompatible with automobile headlights. They would effectively wash it out.
Stop acting like there's no such thing as stupid cyclists.
Stop acting like cycling is an intelligent alternative for the daily commute to work (sure, if you live within 5 minutes of your work in an area where snow/ice doesn't exist, and you have sidewalks/bike friendly paths all the way, then GREAT! The rest of us will continue to drive because we don't live in these perfect conditions). And stop acting like you deserve some special lane on all the roads made for AUTOMOBILES (not bikes), so you can make driving even MORE dangerous.
yes, attaching lasers to the back of bikes seems like a great idea...like when some accident knocks the lasers out of alignment so that they are frying retinas of nearby drivers (or some a-hole thinks of a funny prank)...
I hope someone has pointed out that these projections would be very juddery and all over the place since it's impossible to keep completely straight and stable when cycling.
Moving 'lanes' would cause more distraction than the blinking lights.
Here's a bright idea... if you wanna keep cyclists safe, get them off the damn road geniuses!
Depends on the laser intensity. You could make a light intensity laser that was only powerful enough to put light down on the road. If you put the right color filters on it you shouldn't have any trouble with blinding drivers.
So what happens when the driver of the on coming car gets dazzled or blinded by direct or reflected laser light?
Every one who has ever had a laser pointer pen knows it should not be pointed at the eyes.
Even the smallest Light source when viewed at the critical angle directly will give you a nice blind spot for a few seconds causing poor coordination and the ability to see. Add a little bad weather; say a little rain at night and dazzling laser light and the driver’s vision will be greatly impaired. The road side is no place for visible laser technology of any class.
Stick to using good old road markings, coloured road surfaces, clear visible bike route signs and enforce existing laws and legislation when drivers and cyclists don't follow them. As it is, cyclists are using over super bright flashing red, blue, white head and tail lights that are breaking road traffic laws in some countries and as usual they are getting away with it! Can we car drivers have a laser device to zap cyclists that get in the way or cross traffic lights when thay are on red?
The laser bike lane is a bright idea, but a dazzling flawed implementation that may not meet safety requirements of all road users.
Simple tips to save cyclist lives
1. Buy a car
2. If disregarding instruction 1, learn to cycle faster... like 40mph faster!
Seems like a decent idea until you think about how a bike leans on turns. Also, it implies that it is safe to pass as long as you are outside of this continually changing lane.
The technology could be good for projecting a safe following distance for motorcycles, though.
Chase Wrote "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."
Wow! The hypocrisy of your comment astounds me. Bikes are ROAD transportation, not sidewalk transportation. Think about all the pedestrians you ticked off when you were riding on the sidewalk. I know it ticks me off.
Keep in mind I'm an avid cyclist and love driving too, but here's what the problem is. People are stupid. Cyclists AND drivers. Most drivers choose to ignore their training and laws governing what they are supposed to do on roads. Most cyclists choose to act like the whole road (I guess sidewalks too) belongs to them, so they don't follow the law, let alone common sense.
Riding on sidewalks is not the answer. Following traffic laws (Duh, includes cyclists) is. Sure, it's not going to prevent all accidents, but nothing ever will. Cyclists need to follow their laws and drivers their own. Since moving to the a small town 9 years ago, it freaks me out when I'm driving down a 55mph country road with no berm and there's a string of cyclists putzing along at 10mph or less!! Then they freak out when you come flying up on them trying to slow down before getting to close so you can safely, SLOWLY pass. With stupid drivers and cyclists, it's dangerous for both parties.
I commute to work daily down a hilly, windy road that cyclists think is a great place to ride. No shoulder at all, very low visibility for cars to pass, and the speed limit is 55mph, most go 60. The best thing to do would be
Ride on a road with a shoulder.