LightLane is a bicycle accessory that has been conceived to enhance cyclist safety in areas where dedicated cycling lanes don’t exist. It projects a crisply defined virtual bike lane onto the pavement with the use of a laser, which marks out a temporary safety zone for the cyclist.
A close brush with a distracted driver can be an intimidating experience for night cyclists. The problem isn’t just about visibility, as safety lights can be 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 area a cyclist needs.
Bike lanes have proven to be an effective method of protecting cyclists on congested roads. The bike 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 US$5,000 to US$50,000 per mile, we shouldn’t expect to find them in abundance anytime soon.
Instead of forcing cyclists to adapt to current road situations, LightLane adapts to the cyclist by projecting a virtual bike lane onto the road surface. The high-visibility laser projection provides motorists with a well-defined boundary, reducing the chance that the driver will stray into the cyclist’s path. Additionally, LightLane performs best when lighting conditions are at their worst, improving safety in the most critical situations.
It is often said that cycling simplifies one’s life, and close attention was paid to making the use of LightLane as intuitive as possible. A single button interface allows the user to quickly scan through use modes. The attachment clip not only has a generous lead-in for optimal one-handed registration in low visibility conditions, but it is robust enough to avoid the failures that have plagued other brackets. By using a micro-USB charging port, LightLane is able to leverage the universal mobile phone charger standard and make charging LightLane as accessible as possible.
The beauty of LightLane is that it could be manufactured today using off-the-shelf components. The inclusion of high-visibility DPSS (diode-pumped solid-state) green lasers and an integrated rechargeable battery will likely drive the initial price point beyond the traditional bike light. However, the total cost of ownership should be in line with existing bike lights when it is considered that many avid cyclists not only replace batteries several times a year, but entire bike lights as well due to corrosion or broken mounting brackets.
LightLane is a highly adaptable solution that lends itself to a wide range of cyclists. The familiar nature of the projection is easily recognised by cyclists and drivers alike, and provides another layer of safety where it may not otherwise exist. |
