A close brush with a distracted driver is enough to intimidate the most avid bikers from riding at night. The problem isn’t just about visibility, as safety lights are effective at capturing the attention of a driver. However, these lights are typically constrained to the bike frame, which highlights only a fraction of the bike’s envelope. Bike lanes have proven to be an effective method of protecting cyclists on congested roads. One key is that the lane establishes a well defined boundary beyond the envelope of the bicycle, providing a greater margin of safety between the car and the cyclist. Yet, only a small fraction of streets have dedicated bike lanes, and with an installation cost of $5,000 to $50,000 per mile, we shouldn’t expect to find them everywhere anytime soon. Instead of adapting cycling to established bike lanes, the bike lane should adapt to the cyclists. This is the idea behind the LightLane. Our system projects a crisply defined virtual bike lane onto pavement, using a laser, providing the driver with a familiar boundary to avoid. With a wider margin of safety, bikers will regain their confidence to ride at night, making the bike a more viable commuting alternative.
brilliant
would love to see these in action
Sounds like a great concept. Is it only on the drawing board, or have you actually built something? If so, some pics and more details would be great.
This reminds me of my personal favorite bicycle safety invention, the Speed Vest: http://www.mykle.com/msl/?p=10
Of course, once the Zoobombers and Free Geeks of Portland see this, they’ll formally drop the gauntlet to challenge Mykle & Brady to build one.
Great idea. Any next steps are or any idea when this will take off?
it appears to be a light projection system placed under the rider’s saddle, and projects two parallel lines and a bike graphic back onto the road, essentially creating a moving bike lane wherever the rider is at night… I guess this will scare the daylights out of drivers … bike lanes generally are seriously unsafe as they place riders in the dooor zone, create a false sense of security and encourgae drivers to pass riders faster and also marginalise roders as non-traffic and enforce driver anti-rider attitudes… this may , repeat MAY be a better way than fixed lanes where some form of alerting drivers to a rider’s presence is required, which moves with the rider and would be an improvement over most riders night lighting , which is often inefficient, poorly maintained and and give drivers a SMIDSY defence… ( even when they arent bothering to keep a proper lookout…
we will watch and see… also costs may be prohibitive for the average rider to purchase….
Absolutely brilliant! I want to buy one.
Would be great to see it in a city like Cairo, where biking would be as close as committing suicide.
It seems to me that attaching this device to the rear hub would be most affective, as you would want the lasers be as low to the point of contact as possible to decrease shaking. Perhaps a halo would be better than a lane as well, since it would signal the depth of the bicycle as well as the width. Great idea though, i definitely want one of these as i’ve been hit by a car myself!
effective… sorry…
Probably a great idea, but should probably be in a color
other than red. There are many color blind drivers and
they might not even notice red.
Superb idea. Pretty sure it would work in my town.
I’m down for this idea
Want! Is this going to be a real product?
this is the most incredible idea i’ve seen all week!
Would be very interesting to see in action.
Wouldn’t this show a blurred image of the bicycle symbol as long as you were moving?
First, do not be fooled into thinking that as a cyclist you don’t have all the rights of any vehicle on the road. If you need to take the whole lane for your safety, do it, it is your right.
Second, awesome idea to reinforce the cyclist’s status no matter what the street conditions or street markings.
@Shirlucky–Colorblind doesn’t mean you can’t see a color. It means you see the color as a different color. a Red/Green color blind individual (like myself) would see a red line as green.
This is a great idea — and wouldn’t/shouldn’t be too expensive to implement. I’m not sure what the product development/design plans are, but if you’d be interested, I’d be happy to pitch in to help get this to market. It’s a great idea, and I’d love to learn a little more — there is clearly a market for this, especially at the right price point. Great design/idea, folks!
Wouldn’t the bike lane laser lights get completely drowned out by the brilliant white car headlights? I doubt these lights would be seen.
great idea. I could echo Matt’s thinking if you’re going to project a temporary image on the ground, why constrain yourself to the design that’s already there? I imagine there are better options, even artistic options–this could be fun.
Also, what about other uses of this technology? I love the idea of using ground laser projection on a bike, but pedestrians could benefit in places where street lighting is weak or nonexistent. I imagine there could be good fixed uses of this technology too. Build it into streetlight poles and show all kinds of information–emergency weather notifications… I dunno. Bottom line: broaden your thinking, this technology has other applications.
Hell, if it was cheap enough, you could do something analogous to throwies–fixed, lit graffiti displays.
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.
Where can I buy this? … Make it for me then!
Every Lane’s a Bike Lane!
Yes, Chris, cyclists have the same rights as other users of the road. Unfortunately, they usually ignore the fact that they are subject to the same laws as everyone else. Most cyclists I’ve seen ignore red lights and stop signs, ride on any part of the road they choose, weave in and out of traffic, make an extra lane as they squeeze between cars, swoop past pedestrians on the sidewalk (where they usually aren’t allowed), and generally expect everyone to watch out for them. Contrary to your statement, most places don’t allow them to use any part of the lane they want, just as pedestrians can’t walk in the middle of the road.
The virtual lane is probably stupid. As someone already said, headlights will wash out the projection. The cyclist will go merrily along, feeling safe behind his or her virtual wall, and end up the most surprised person in the morgue.
I’ll be glad to share the road with you, but most cyclists need to stop acting like spoiled ten-year-olds. “Share the road” means obey the law just like you demand non-cyclists do.
I want this.
I’ll guarantee you’ll get my custom if these ever make it into production…
Look, I am ready to buy this thing!
It appears that it has not been manufactured yet.
well well
)
Excellent idea!
but how the energy is produced ? by cycling (dynamo) or with a battery ?
Bike shop owner for 25yrs. Keep working on this I think you have something here!
Yea, subject to the same laws of PHYSICS. If you need a full lane, take it??? Are you figgin daft? Oh, wait, Darwin will certainly take care of you and your lot.
And yea, projecting a fake lane will not only be dangerous for cars that think they have a full lane next to it, but will probably be illegal as you are creating fake traffic markings.
But, using this to create a more noticeable halo around and behind you is a brilliant idea. Using the newer green lasers will prevent headlight washout and make them very visible during the day as well.
If red lights would be washed out by headlights, a bright blue would work well, as it’s higher energy.
@David Not to start a flamewar, but I see arguments like that as a futile chicken or egg scenario. Yes, cyclists are generally supposed to have the same rights as motor vehicles. Yes, with those rights come responsibilities to follow the same laws. However, in practice cyclists are treated as far less than first-class citizens of the road – by motorists, by pedestrians and by other cyclists. Conversely, I’ve certainly seen cyclists engage in dangerous riding.
I’d also challenge the perception that most cyclists ride discourteously. Or course, I don’t have statistics to back this up but the go-to visual when these discussions come up are those of miscreant messengers or arrogant racers breaking traffic law while I’d assert that these riders are visible (and vocal) minorities of the cycling population. (full disclosure: I’m a bicycle commuter and racer in nyc).
Having ridden in European cities like Vienna or Amsterdam (and I’d love to see Copenhagen first-hand) where it seems cycling isn’t regarded as a separate, lesser form of transportation or lifestyle but simply exists as part of society makes me think that we have a long way to go in the US. It doesn’t have much to do with legislation or road painting, but a shift in cultural attitude – which is far more difficult.
@David Totally agree about irresponsible bikers. I think a certain percentage of the population are selfish bastards and another percentage are idiots. Whatever mode of transportation those people use is irrelevant to their selfish stupid uses of a common resource. I cycle and drive and endless numbers of cars and cyclists drive me crazy. I don’t really care if people are ‘breaking the law’ when it doesn’t affect anyone else, but that is hardly ever the case (say running a stop sign on a deserted road with excellent visibility.) I guess the only thing I would say in cyclists defense (even though their actions annoy me) is that the traffic laws and roads are typically set up for cars that can stop and start with no effort so cyclists are incentivized by personal gain to break laws in order to conserve momentum. SO maybe a person doesn’t have to be _as_ selfish on a bike to do selfish annoying things while biking vs being in a car. But given all the horrible things I see drivers do it doesn’t seem like there much of a real difference.
When will this be available? It’s a great idea!
This could be an additional safety feature, like bike lights, though nothing more. Speaking of lights, where are the lights for the rider in the picture? That’s illegal in some states. Anyone who is a serious commuter knows that you’re asking to be hit without any lights on. Other things wrong with the picture: rider has no helmet, is wearing dark, non-reflective clothing, and is likely to get his jeans stuck in the chain ring very soon! Oh, wait, that’s to make the product stand out even more, right?
I wouldn’t just rely on the Light Lane.
It’ll just take one of these things to come a little loose, temporarily blind a driver, and hey presto. I’m hoping it won’t though can just see it happening. The use of lasers shouldn’t be taken lightly when you’re talking about using it in traffic. What if you ride over a puddle, or a shiny metal object/surface?
David,
not to argue with another David
but this point:
“make an extra lane as they squeeze between cars”
I don’t know about your state: In my state, the presence of a cyclist on a road without a cycle lane creates an automatic lane for that cyclist. We are supposed to be on the right, & cars should be keeping a spot open there.
That being said, the most dangerous, stupid thing a cyclist does is sneak through there & get hit by the car making a legitimate right who had no chance to see them. I stop behind the last car for safety. But, it is a perfectly legal way of travelling.
brilliant!
Nice photoshop. It looks great on computer to address the biggest issue facing cyclists, visibility. Bikes are getting loaded down with more and more electronics. SHOW ME DA JUICE!
Three easy, low-tech steps to solve the visibility issue, without an alternator and a distributor:
1) Make ‘em see ya.
2) Make ‘em pass safely.
3) Quit gutter,/a> trolling.
Nice photoshop. It looks great on computer to address the biggest issue facing cyclists, visibility. Bikes are getting loaded down with more and more electronics. SHOW ME DA JUICE!
Three easy, low-tech steps to solve the visibility issue, without an alternator and a distributor:
1) Make ‘em see ya.
2) Make ‘em pass safely.
3) Quit gutter trolling.
I think a better idea would be to have lasers that zap cars, when they come to close.
I love it!
how about day time?
While I appreciate the concept, the rider in the picture would clearly improve his viability and safety with proper lighting as opposed to a neat, if a bit questional, gadget.
Cool idea. What about during the day?
Best solution to the problem remains leaning on your city councilors to mandate the installation of actual bike lanes, and charging drivers who door prize with reckless endangerment.
where can i buy this!!!!
Ahhh, so I can watch the skinny little bike lane weaving across the road diagonally in the wrong direction while the moron on it prepares to be roadkill.
I am all in favor of bikes. I am not in favor of being forced to go 20 in a 50 mph zone, and so I AM in favor of them driving carefully and safely and responsibly as far over as they safely can get, so that I can pass them when I reach a passing zone. I give them a VERY wide berth. But the little bike lane symbol – let’s pretend for a moment that it could be seen at night even through headlights – WOULD INDEED imply to me that I have my full lane next to that biker. Assuming that there is a clearly defined lane between my lane and the next, I might then attempt to squeeze in between those two lines thinking, “Well, it looks small, but if that’s a bike lane, there must be room…”
I would love, LOVE, to see bikes with more lights. Or just, lights, period. You can say all you like that the irresponsible ones are the visible minority – they’re the INVISIBLE majority, because when I come up behind a bike at night and WOW, there’s reflective tape everywhere and a tail light and the rider is wearing high-visibility clothing, that stands out. I remember those, because I see maybe half a dozen a year. How many bikers are out there with only one (dirty and crooked) reflecter, having narrow misses every day? I see one of those at least a week. Those are not the majority. Those are the norm.
This will not help the problem. Educating bike riders and LIGHTING UP THEIR BIKES will.
Where can I get one? F’in cool.
I see the image is copyrighted. But who owns the copyright? Seems to me that’s a crucial part of the copyright notice. Without it, how do you negotiate use?
A couple of stripes on the road are completely ineffective at keeping a biker safe. The only solution for save riding is to separate cars and bikes completely. This invention just perpetuates the myth that a stripe on the road is all that’s necessary to make a city bike friendly.
-Tad
Our twin cities area of Bryan and College Station is not nearly friendly enough for bikes. This would help a great deal.
I wonder if cameras at intersections could track how many of these go through so cities could consider installing permanent lighting in the most needed areas.
The cyclist in that picture might want to think about starting with, oh, I don’t know, a HELMET perhaps?
Let’s see, crazy bikers kill how many people a year and crazy car drivers kill how many people a year.
I know a biker who can’t walk today from being hit by a car. How many car drivers can say that the same?
Car machismo gets very tiring after a while. But if bike riders are cowboys which most city riders are, they don’t have much choice since the streets were designed for horses and buggies, not cars and not bikes. If you want to see a city where it works for both, go to NYC. It is the only place that I know where drivers, pedestrians and bikers know how to make it work.
Maybe bikers aren’t cowboys where you are, but 99 44/100% of the ones in Atlanta are, especially college macho men. Of course they have a choice – just obey the laws. It’s not the road’s fault that they act like airheads.
How many crazy bikers kill themselves every year by running stop signs and red lights? The only reason more bikers aren’t killed or injured is because of drivers with fast reflexes. If you dare to honk at an idiot biker, or come close to hitting him as he runs the light, he flips you off as if you’re the one to blame.
Bike machismo gets tiring faster than car machismo. And car machismo is less likely to get the macho idiot killed than bike machismo. Don’t blame the drivers for the bikers’ violations.
I think Rob says it best, pointing out the pros and cons of both lanes, and “light-lanes”
The “light-lane” is simply brilliant (although the halo idea is pretty bad-ass too, or would it blind the rider? [doh!]), can I make mine have a personal message?
Cheers,
Well that looks cool.. but all I’d see is some red lights on the ground… Wheres your refleto gear? Flashing lights? And I don’t see much of a helmet there either.. thats 10 points in my driving game, 15 if you put a black top on!
@David
You might want to try citing statistics from someplace other than out of your ass.
Idiot car drivers (you sound like one) killed more than 40,000 of themselves and others last year. Bicyclists ain’t the problem.
fantastic idea! you should enter it into this contest if you can model it up and send it in by Jan 17:
http://www.core77.com/greenergadgets/
I spent 21 years in the bicycle business, and rode a bike a lot for many years. I think this idea has some potential, particularly for a solo rider. The perceived “zone” around a rider is helpfully defined by the lazer. I can see one drawback however if groups of riders try to use this product. The overlapping lazer imaging would be very confusing – both for other riders as well as motorists.
This is just plain stupid. When bicyclists ride abreast, as they often do, this will cause too much clutter.
Why do so many cyclists want to be stuck in a ghetto? Vehicular cycling rules, reclaim the streets!
what happens when you lean?? bikes don’t tend to stay perfectly level when they turn…. imagine shooting your laser beam across the street every time you avoid a pothole, or into people’s eyes momentarily blinding them which conveniently would happen when your turning at intersections etc..
other possibility is to have it weighted but again a combination of bumps and turning back and forth could easily throw it off enough to be very awkward and lead to exciting situations.
,don’t get me wrong I like the “idea” we just need to find a way to make it work. As it stands I dont see the advantages outweighing the con’s, especially when a cheap little flashing light will work almost as well as this.
maybe, if you included the auto centering etc.. however there would be a sensor that would only turn it on when it is within a certain range, and it would include a standard blinking light that would always be on. This way when you are ridding straight and level you can have your illuminated bike lane, but when things are no longer ideal your still ’safe’ and without affecting others.
Neat idea, but it would take some serious watt-power to project that kind of image (i.e., big, heavy batteries).
Mark in Santa Barbara
this idea is stupid. It can never be implemented. We are talking of going green all over the place and here is one idea which lights up where ever you go. Hmmph.
I admit I am too meek and am guilty of ‘gutter trolling’ thus encouraging drivers to assume that I am stable in that mode, whilst every now and then comes a nasty drain grating in a pit and one needs to swerve around.
I would like a bar as wide as my needed space (foldable for bike storage) at each end of which is a red light. I would also like these to be included in every bike sold.
Cy Quick at mydigest.wordpress.com
Sorry, while it looks neat, I don’t like the idea. Some drunk is going to decide that the little red lines are reflective paint marking his lane, and that they are far ahead of him. He won’t notice the bike symbol or the cyclist. Like a good careful driver, he will position his car to drive straight down the middle of his lane.
No. The latest crop of conventional battery powered LED bike lights are astonishingly bright even with rechargeable batteries. That bright light goes into a driver’s eyes where it belongs, it is not wasted by being directed onto the road.
I ride with two rear red multi-LED Blackburn lights at night, one mounted below the seat and one on the back of the rack. The upper one I keep solid and the lower is set to an up-down flash cycle. They are VERY noticeable to drivers, and I with this setup have had no close calls at night in over a year of regular night riding in light traffic.
The graphic is pretty cool, as it should be from a graphic artist. However, this is actually yet another impractical “design concept” which will never see the light of day, and which has any number of problems associated with it.
It is already known how to produce conditions where everyone will cycle for a large proportion of their journeys. Make the situation safe and give cycle routes an advantage in directness and you get large numbers of cyclists.
40% of journeys in this city are by bike.
i need one now!!!
Instead of installing expensive infrastructure, how about educating motorists to respect the legal (statutory and common law) right of cyclists to use the road, and cyclist’s their legal duty to obey the rules of the road?
Bike lanes are dangerous, anyway. http://www.cyclelicio.us/2007/05/dangers-of-bike-lanes.html (Among others.)
An idea that is ingenious in its creativity and pragmatism! Thanks for sharing.
Why are cyclists ’selfish’? Surely the selfish ones are the road hogging RVs, the slow accelerating dualies that can barely accelerate faster than a pedestrian and car drivers who talk on thier phone and wander all over the road. Cyclists get treated like shit by the road rules and the cops, yet every cyclist out there is one less full car parking space, one less car competing for gas and one less cloud of exhaust painting the sky brown. We should be encouraging cyclist whenever we can and looking to copy those countries that really get it, like amsterdam.
just what the hell does it accomplish??? wouldn’t a decent tail light make more sense? brilliant? I don’t think so…
I’m not going to get into a big argument about how people should or shouldn’t be riding, but in California at a minimum lane splitting (passing between cars) is legal, and several cities are looking at passing laws allowing cyclists to treat red lights like stop signs and stop signs like yields if the cross street is clear.
interesting.. you guys are only allowing positive comments to go up. what a bunch of fucking pussies.
I always wanted to shoot sparks out the back of my bike. any chance for it?
hc
Very creative, but also completely useless. As a car aproachs with lights on, your light lane disapears at all.
Probably every single city light can make the lane difficult to be seen.
Keep working on it!
briljant!
I’d buy one
I have a DiNottelighting 400L taillight. Instead of making some thin lines, the light makes everything right behind me red. As a result, drivers slow down and go around me. The product already exists. Mission accomplished.
it’s brilliant!
so when can we order it?:]]]
[oh!an how much will it cost?]
Interesting idea; as others have mentioned, I’d like to see how visible it is when headlights are behind the bike though.
I prefer to have my front and back lights blinking while I ride on the street rather than risk smashing into pedestrians who wander onto the bike paths.
I found your idea very interesting and I definitively would give it a try. I wonder if the idea could be extended to cover also the sides of the bike and even the front of the bike. My guess is doing that the lighting system will be delimiting the bike security area not only to drivers behind the cyclist but also to drivers overtaking the bike-
I have written an entry in my blog in Spanish (http://unciclistaurbano.blogspot.com/2009/01/hazte-tu-propio-carril-bici-alumbrado.html) to give the idea visibility in Spain.
Best regards
Javier
The problem with this idea, at least where I live (lovely WI) is that 6 months out of the year two to three feet of road of either side (including bike lanes in the scant places they exist) are covered with snow and never plowed. Now, there’s plenty of grass and nothingness along the side of the road (at least along my summer bike-commute to work), so the snow could easily be removed, but the plows don’t even bother. They just get the very middle of the roads, and let snow and ice accumulate where they may. There is no salt, and it’s too slick and nasty to bike on. Even when the weather warms up, this muck takes forever to melt, leaving me no way to bike anywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about your idea, but the city would still have to do a little work to keep it clear.
Excellent idea, also would be great for motorcycles as not all car drivers know to keep a safe distance. Although someone needs to remind cyclists that there’s a reason to stop at intersections….
It definitely may not be useful in all riding situation, but for my case, riding at night from a small village in the country to another small village, on a rural road, this would be fantastic, as it is n uneventful straight road. So far, my best protection has been a 16 flashing LED construction reflective vest plus LED bracelets on ankles which certainly capts attention. I look like a fool but…
I would love to project my own biking lane as an added eye catcher/protection.
GREAT IDEA – this is such an elegant solution
this is stupid and won’t work for undisciplined bikers. If they bike in the middle of the street, criss-crossing traffic, then their little bike lane projectors now gives them the right?
A great product that has been available for several years accomplishes the same thing without the drawbacks that everyone is mentioning above:
The DOWN LOW GLOW system is a neon tube that mounts under a bike’s downtube and/or seatstay and provides an oval of light under your bike. I’ve been using them for about 4 years now. Drivers really notice them, and they are visible from all sides.
See some photos at ROCK the BIKE; http://www.rockthebike.com/
Want! Love the idea!
If U enjoy BikeLane product please check also AIRZOUND bike horn:
http://www.airzound.pl/wyprobuj/
Great idea however it might be very confusing for drivers. E.g. if they know there wasn’t any bicycle line yesterday and no signs about it either. And then there is guy cycling with a line behind him.
But great idea if you get it approved.
Its hard enough to get money for paint for lanes. If drivers were given more than a micro spank for harassing bicyclists we wouldn’t need this. Why baby motorists more and waste energy and resources? Empower officers to revoke the licenses of a motorists who can not stay in the lines and out of the bike lane or those who door cyclists. Enforce laws against motorcycles, scooters and mopeds from driving in the bike lanes. Require urban police precincts to deploy bicycle police at rush hour when motorists are on their worst behavior and share the grief with us. Give the bike lane some real legal standing. That would be better than this silly disco light pollution strips.
Now if the lasers were sensors that triggered a camera system that could ticket motorists, that’s technology I can support.
If there’s any testing phase for this idea, I’d enjoy participating and lending research feedback. I bike often in the evening and I’ve had enough near accidents to try all and any new resources to help myself and other riders. Neat idea though I’d have to see and experience it to give a complete thumbs up. Otherwise, “right on!”
JCG
I like the general idea of projecting information onto the pavement. What I don’t like, though, is the bike lane theme. A few suggestions what the technology could do if we had it:
1) Project information for the driver, such as the recommended minimum distance to the edge of the pavement or to parking cars, or the minumum braking distance at the current speed.
2) Project more useful information than a bicycle logo next to the bike, e.g. specific markings for the recommended distance that cars should leave to the cyclist while passing; this distance is often larger than the width of a typical bike lane.
Projecting a bike lane seems to me like wasting powerful technology in a poor application.
Stupid idea, honestly are you all just chimps or something? Do bright colors intrigue you? Did any of you stop to think about how something like this might actually work? Forget trying to transpose red lines onto a surface, which would not only be subject to changes in elevation or obstacles, but to the rider’s direction and turning, essentially it’s like taking a laser pointer with you and trying your hardest to shine it in driver’s eyes, hoping they’ll notice you.
If you don’t want to get hit on a bike, wear reflective clothing, put reflectors on your bike, so when I’m driving by 20 mph faster than you are, I see you on your bike and not a few red lines coming from darkness.
Secondly, exactly how long of a range would these magical laser lines need to actually gain attention of a driver? anything more than a few yards will ultimately be heavily distorted due to reasons listed above, not accounting for vibrations on the frame or the casing of the laser.
Just stick with what works, this is flashy and nothing more.
Re: Light Lane – Concept from Altitude’s Alex Tee and Evan Gant
I’ve been on the bike’s saddle for over four decades, I ride on the street, for the sidewalk is for pedestrians and wheelchair-bound individuals. My brand of advocacy is for bicyclists to share the roadways with motorized traffic. Proudly, my personal car use is one of the lowest in America.
That said, I find this laser lane concept brilliant and would encourage as many people as possible to use it! Still, though, core solution to inspire Americans to use bicycles for short distance trips instead of their cars is a massive government-backed education campaign aimed to drivers and bicyclists both, teaching them how to share the existing surface transportation infrastructure… Integration, not segregation, is the key for bicycling to thrive in the U.S.
Humberto
Very interesting concept. Something you should consider: at least one study has shown that bike lanes actually DECREASE passing distance by vehicles. The authors of the study hypothesized that it was because drivers felt more comfortable around the rider. This point should at least be considered and addressed.
I don’t have the link. Look it up on Google Scholar or EBSCOhost if you have access.
Me? I think I’ll just move to Amsterdam.
Cool idea. I wonder if you realize, however, that in your picture the car in the background seems to be driving on the wrong side of the street (or else the biker is, if it’s in a LHS region). I don’t think any laser lane is going to help with that!
Conneting to my tom tom on my m.bike and it would be the best idee in years and i buy it!
I’ll order 2!
It’s a brilliant idea. Would be a challenge to execute, but it’d be effective and simultaneously make a statement.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the bike-dot-matrix-printer. Maybe you could team up with that guy for technical expertise. http://www.boingboing.net/2004/06/17/dotmatrix-bicycle-pr.html
Really great concept!
thank you for sharing
Respect!
Can I have one please?
Here in Munich (Bavaria) there are lots of bike lanes – but a few more wouldn’t hurt.
I volunteer to find out whether this thing makes drivers more aggressive (they don’t get much more aggressive than in the home town of BMW) or more careful.
OK- for the entrepreneurs out there. How about this?
Mount lasers on the bike forks. Four lasers, two one each side, front and back. The lasers just make straight lines- and can be aligned to form a line greater than the length of the bike. (just like the pic in this article) Then mount another laser that projects the bicycle image. So with 5 laser (not very expensive)each biker can make their own bike lane.
Then go to next level- generate the power with the pedaling.
I’d buy that shit right now if i could. damn.
Lovely. Bloody brilliant. I want one.
I learnt your Light Lane in Japan.
Light Lane that you made is a very wonderful idea.
I want to buy this product.
Please inform me of the sale plan.
Love it! And will BLOG about it!
bravo pour cette brillante idée que nous avons relayée sur notre blog. a quand la commercialisation?
sofff
Hi
I’d like to use the pic of the LightLane on our blog. Can do?
Cheers
Dom
The idea is quite imaginative and would be brilliant as an advertising / educational campaign, but the device itself would be relatively meaningless as a safety device.
Lights, reflectors, helmets and obeying the road rules would be much safer than a gimmick.
Great idea, I’m on. – This won’t work with bags on your rack, will it?
Think the appeal to most here as someone already said devoid of all irony lies in the “simultaneously make a statement” or ‘look at me on my single-speed/fixed-wheel/unicycle/tiny BMX/space-hopper/ironically cool suicidally idiotic mode of transport!’ factor. Considering the angle this needs to be seen from by most other road users how can it be any more effective in alerting drivers to the presence of hipster cyclists than an ordinary set of lights, except at close quarters. I’d prefer motorists to notice cyclists from a distance that gives them time to think and act accordingly. Maybe the inventors at trashbat productions could look at the wheel next. Probably do well in Hoxton where inaninty rules.
I’m not sure this device resolves the problem of its main intention: to create a bike lane where there is none so motorists are more aware of you riding at night. A person driving a car is no more likely to yeild any space unless they see you coming or can see yo in the distance; regarldess of the presence of a virtual bikelane or not. The Light Lane, IMO simply creates a more perceptable visual cue for drivers to see at night. The devices would be just as helpful if it superimposed and other shape on the ground. I actually think it would be much more effective i it were to display a contstanly rotating series of dots that circled the rider and making people think there’s a UFO on the ground!
This is a work of genius, I’m absolutely amazed. This is thinking out of the box in a big way. Letting the bike create its own lane is just…. I’m speechless, fantastic work!!!!
Love it!
I gotta get me one of these babies! How does one support this fantastic idea?
it is very useful I think
would like to see Light lane for Inline Skaters
For ex. in Moscow we make grate inkline tours at nights
every week for big groups, and personally every night
It’s really need for safety
in reality, this would be absolutely useless and ineffective
We all know the photo is fake, right?
To get a laser of that width and brightness it would take quite a bit of power by battery or pedal. Also the reflected light, which is what we see is coming off of an uneven black surface, needs an intense source.
Great idea, don’t get me wrong. I low tech solution is not as sexy, but probably more effective. Like skunks hanging from the handle bars or a pit bull in a basket.
High Tech is not the hammer to every nail.
Dan
Grrreat for the fun of it
But a bit too individualist, the real solution is collective, i.e. campaign for real good bikelanes, secure, uninterupted and everywhere like in Holland or Denmark.
Great idea in theory, but as a regular cycle commuter, day and night, and as an engineer, I can see several problems.
The laser (light source) needs to mounted somewhere on the bike/rider combination. Anyone who has seen a bike rider will know they are far less stable than a car etc. Therefore the image projected on the road would flutter and wobble considerably making the whole thing far less effective than the still photo shows.
The legality of a rider providing their own traveling bike lane also needs to be considered. Say a rider is hit, they claim they were riding in a bike lane and the car driver says they were not, and so on.
If a car doesn’t see me (riding at night following the road rules) with my multiple flashing and continuous lights on my bike and helmet, there is no reason to believe they will see the laser bike lane on the road either.
Good concept and worth investigating to see if the bugs can be worked out, but not there just yet in my opinion. I look forward to developments!
TriDork
Where can I get one?
I’m really interested to become exclusive dealership for Light Lane in Europe.
Please contact me.
Xavier TALBOT
Mob. +33(0)6.09.22.14.41
Is this at least being produced ?
interesting article
This would be a big seller at our retail shop online.
We sell unique lights for bicycles and put a lot of our thinking on bicycle safety.
This is going to be big….
Where can I locate the owner/manufacturer/whosaler of this?
Please!
M. Conant
Owner
MBID Co.
So an aproaching driver that don’t see or ignore the cyclist in front would be more incline to observ the already existing rights of cyclist to use the road if there was a “virtual bike lane” projected on to the street… Jeez, have you all lost your mind?
Please send info to become rep in Europe… and good luck for a great idea.
Dear driends,
we are spanish cycling newspaper and we are interested to publish a new about light line concept. So, if is possible to receive one or some pictures from you, as you use in your blog, to add to the text.
It would be great. Thanks a lot!
JOSE
META 2MIL
BUT IT WILL BE SEEN ONLY AT NIGHT
IN DAYLIGHT LASER PROJECTION INVISIBLE!!!
WOW. I am gonna make one of these for my CAR. Project my own lanes to stop cyclists undercutting me on my inside by inches when stuck in traffic. I might also get one installed in a back pack to project my personal space on the pavement to stop cyclists trying to run me down whilst I am walking.
We also need a system to stop cyclists using a zebra crossing to get across the road. If you want to use it, get off your bike and walk. I saw a cyclists knocked over trying to cycle over a zebra crossing. Mental.
Whilst in principle I have no problem with good cyclists using this as a measure to increase personal space and safety there are far too many dangerous cyclists that think they are stuntmen and that rules of the pedestrian also apply to cyclists.
Cars are supposed to give 3ft clearance when passing a bike, so this bike lane projection seems to give the idea that it is safe to pass much closer than I would feel comfortable with as a cyclist. When I’m in a bike lane, I stay as far away from the left as I can. When I’m in a regular lane, sorry, but I take it if motor vehicles seem aggressive that day or conditions are bad- I make sure the cars have to switch lanes like they would with any other vehicle. I’ve been side swiped twice by drivers thinking they shouldn’t have to move over more than 2 inches for me. _Then_ they are all apologetic since though the laws of physics do apply, it doesn’t give one driver the right to treat another driver less than human.
@ Munchykins
Have you ever heard of a cyclist being charged with causing death by dangerous driving? Thought not. Try riding a cycle before posting an arrogant and ignorant anti bike rant. Then see how many motorists work on the assumption that you can stop dead on a sixpence, will be completely unaffected if they pass you at speed with just a few inches clearance, and that in general you just are not actually there or if you are, that your life and safety counts for nothing. Personally I ride defensively, not aggressively, but I can completely understand why others at their wits end are less patient. There are times when riding without any protective metal shell feels pretty damn scary.
However since I doubt you will actually dare to test your prejudices, please bear in mind that for myself and many other cyclists, every journey I do not make on my bicycle, is made in my car adding to the traffic you must battle through, which I would guess makes you even more apoplectic. Just admit that you are only envious because someone on a couple of wheels, and a chain, held together by a few metal sticks can zip through traffic queues and past you in your ridiculously expensive motor.
The only modification I would suggest to the design is a switch to reconfigure the lasers into target mode to deal with real dangers on the road, arrogant testosterone fuelled car drivers. Yes Munchy baby, I am looking at you!
This is brilliant. Truly excellent thinking.
Let’s take it a step further: Make the laers really, really powerful and they can burn bicycle lanes into the roadway that they’ve traveled over, blazing a safe trail for future bicyclists to follow.
great idea! can i post about it here?
That is SOOO awesome! I’ve been bike commuting through the winter here in Ottawa (Canada) and I’d totally use one.
How about a laser that tracks, zeros in on the driver’s chest (like a rifle laser sight) when they get to close, now that might get them to back off.
Somewhat ironic that the bike rider isn’t wearing a helmet.
superb idea. I like the ‘Halo’ idea mentioned above.
maybe they could also program the laser so that you can have little indicator buttons on the handle bars and this would then project a little flashing left or right.
No more need for hand signals
This concept is feasible but it would be very expensive. Note that in the mockup photo the lines extend forward of the bike but if the laser/mirror/controller device is mounted on the rear of bike that is not possible. What you really need is for the source to be a 125mWatt green laser. Then, when the car gets too close just program the controller to carve a nice epithet into the paint of the car.
I would like to buy it…
I want one! I used to just put a BLINDINGLY bright headlight on the front ot my bike when I’d ride at night. You wouldn’t believe how much room oncoming traffic would give you. No more left turns right in front of you.
I found your blog and read a few of the posts. Keep up the good work. I am looking forward to checking out more from you in the future.
Instead of calling it a ‘bike lane’ call it a ‘bike box’, as in, a minimum safe distance. In fact you could project it maybe an extra foot in diameter round the bike as a safety measure.
Fantastic !!!
Is avaliable ? I need this in my biKe
Back in my island, there are many bike casualties as a result of drivers not being able to see the whole body of the bike, and the streets that being illuminating enough.
i am going to be cycling across america with a friend and having these traveling bike lanes would be a HUGE help to us!
would you be able to help us out as i’m sure we would be perfect subjects to help get your product out there!
thanks
David
SUV drivers will just make their own lanes with lightlane & use that to run over bikers.
Where can i buy this product i will love to have one, i live in mexico city. Drive a bike here its very dangerous…
Congrats, its an amazing design
Interesting information. I didn’t know that and thanks for bringing me up to speed. I will check back more often.
Cool thing!
Too bad it would only work at night.
I guess during the day I have to rely on my bike-lane shirt.
(http://www.printfection.com/shirts-4-thought/Bike-Lane/_s_301362)
Hmm this is great post.
The perfect match for an e-bike kit (biccleta electrica) where can i get one?
i am totally fascinated by the idea!
got the solution to make it cheap enough to scale up industrially. contact me.