Futuristic highways in the Netherlands glow in the dark

Azhria Lilu

Captain
I hovered between putting this in Technology or here... either way......

A futuristic highway that can save energy and improve road safety is set to be installed in the Netherlands by mid-2013. Two companies, Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure, came up with the highway, which includes: glow-in-the-dark road markings painted with photo-luminescent paint which are charged during the day and light up during the night; temperature-responsive paint which indicates slippery roads when temperatures fall below zero; and interactive lights along the highway that light up as cars approach. Wind lights that light up using the draft produced by cars and priority induction lanes that can recharge electric cars as they run along them also feature.

The luminous road markings and weather indicating roads will debut in the Dutch province of Brabant in the middle of next year. The wind powered and interactive lights along with the induction lanes are also planned to go into service in the next years.


What do all you drivers think?
 
As someone who drives a lot for their job (kind of hard to make a cell tower come to you) I like it. Especially illuminating the road lines. I wonder how they work during a heavy rain storm - that's when I find it hardest to see them. Also like the idea of displaying road conditions like iciness but really hope the snowflakes are smaller than what was shown in video. There will be some idiot, like me, who gets in an accident because he was trying to see if all the flakes were unique like in real life
 
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