Will White Lines of the Future Glow in the Dark?

As the UK’s leading national line marking company, Riggotts are always on the lookout for ways to make our roads safer. Recently, the Netherlands tested an innovative, cost-effective and more environmentally friendly way of marking their roads at night – glow in the dark road markings.

Dubbed the “Smart Highway Project”, the design is the product of Daan Roosegaarde, who focuses on innovative road design. The glowing green lines, painted with photo-luminescent paint, absorb light during the day and then glow bright green at night. Not only are they more eco-friendly, conserving energy that would otherwise be used to power street lights at night, they also improve safety and visibility on the roads.

Roosegaarde’s future design plans also include weather markings such as snowflakes that would appear when the outdoor temperature dipped to a certain level. All of these ideas are part of his desire to make driving a more interactive and sustainable driving experience. Though the test glow markings in the Netherlands have proved too sensitive to moisture, and have since been faded out, civil engineering firm Heijmans has taken the design back to the lab to undergo more testing.

Riggotts are excited at the prospect of new and improved ways to line the UK’s roads, particularly if they lead to improved safety and a cleaner world.