The future of road traffic in the Netherlands has taken a step towards reality with the introduction of self-illuminating road markings on a section of a country road. The designer responsible for the project, Daan Roosegaarde, envisions that these markings could provide additional important information for drivers. The project, called “Smarthighway,” is a collaboration between Roosegaarde’s design firm, Studio Roosegaarde, and Dutch construction company Heijmans. The 500-meter stretch of road near the city of Oss has been marked with a special paint that absorbs light during the day and emits a green glow for up to eight hours at night, powered by a solar charging system.
Roosegaarde has dedicated himself to the “Roads of Tomorrow” design project, believing that current roads do not provide drivers with the full range of benefits they could offer. At night, drivers must navigate almost blindly, with only the areas illuminated by passing headlights providing any guidance. The self-illuminating green markings on the road provide an important navigational aid for drivers of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The markings are created using a special powder that absorbs light during the day and emits different shades of green at night. The technology is already available and could be further developed in the future.
Studio Roosegaarde is working on additional ideas for the “Smarthighway” project, including temperature-sensitive symbols that warn drivers of hazardous weather conditions such as snow or ice. The project’s website showcases other potential innovations, such as induction fields that allow electric car components to be charged while driving, interactive light fields that illuminate specific areas of the environment only when sensors are triggered, and dynamic road markings that adjust to current traffic conditions. However, the project must first gain approval from the relevant authorities, and questions remain about how the self-illuminating system will function on cloudy days when the sun is not visible.
The “Smarthighway” project is an exciting development in the field of road safety and innovation. With the potential to provide drivers with important information and guidance, it could revolutionize the way we think about road design and traffic management.
