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LightLane concept creates bike lanes where there were none

By Rain Noe - January 16, 2009

in Object Culture

Designers Alex Tee and Evan Gant, of Massachusetts-based product innovation firm Altitude Inc., are hoping their LightLane bicycle add-on will make bicycling safer at night:

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 highlihgts 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 cycist. 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 LighLane. 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.

While we have our doubts as to its efficacy, we feel this is one of the many design shots that have to be fired before the ultimate solution is discovered.

via dustbowl

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sebastian

14 years ago

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Hey,

where can i buy this product?

thanks!
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david zelman

14 years ago

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While i agree somewhat with what "pissed" says, I think this is a very neat, needed and usable product. I hope to see this all over the place.

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Pissed

15 years ago

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Great another way for cyclists to ride where ever the hell they please. They are the reason why driving in Chicago is ridiculous. Yes, stop signs and a traffic lights do apply to cyclists. No, you do not have the right to cut off any car just because you are on a bike.
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Jeremy

15 years ago

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Nice idea... the idea might convey a sense of safety conscious biker better if the model was wearing a helmet
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robco

15 years ago

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Nice project, especially like the icon. However, a buddy of mine designed the same thing 3 years ago as a student, maybe he'll sell you his patent. :)

http://www.faqs.org/patents/inv/51899
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