Unfortunately, poor visibility during fog is a tale as old as the car. What if the road just… lit up?
In Helmond, a tech company based in the Netherlands has installed the world’s first road markings that light up in the dark.
In collaboration with road marking specialist Tpaint and infrastructure company Heijmans, Luxene has successfully debuted its “Guidance Light Lines” on a stretch of road at the Automotive Campus in the Brainport Region of Eindhoven.
How it works
Most road markings only become visible when a vehicle’s headlights hit them at the right angle. However, in the heavy rain and fog that Dutch roads know all too well, that is not enough.
Luxene’s system takes a different approach. Instead of reflecting light, the markings generate their own.
How, you ask? Optical fibres are sewn into the road marking material during its production, and a light source mounted outside the road surface feeds into those fibres. This distributes light along the full length of the road, making sure it glows in the dark, unfettered by foggy conditions.
Since the light source sits above the tarmac, the road itself needs no electronics — keeping maintenance simple.
Why it matters
The energy consumption of the Guidance Light Lines is about 30% lower than that of normal street lighting, according to Luxene.
As the light is directed at the road rather than the surrounding area, there is considerably less light pollution.
Meanwhile, the camera-based systems in cars that struggle when visibility is poor find a reference point in the glowing line that is built into the tarmac, preventing the need for blind driving.
Maarten Tobias, CEO of Luxene, says, “This pilot marks a fundamental change in infrastructure. This makes roads safer, with lower energy consumption and minimal impact on the environment.”
Ready to roll out
The bigger question: will all roads now look like this? Well, it is possible.
Installation was carried out using standard equipment and materials already approved for road use, meaning roads will not need to be rebuilt for this solution to be applied at scale.
Henri Nas, Director of Road Specialities at Heijmans, says, “From an integration perspective, this pilot confirms that Luxene’s solution can be efficiently applied within existing construction and maintenance processes.”
Luxene has confirmed the system works on roads, cycle paths, industrial sites, and airports, but an official tender is yet to come.
Given the Netherlands’ track record of leading on road safety innovation, glowing bike lanes may not be as far off as they sound.
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