Green light given to 'glow in the dark' road concept

By mid-2013, driving on the highways at night time in the Netherlands will get a bit brighter, with new, fluorescent lane markers that will remove the need for overhead lighting.

The 'glow in the dark' roads are also supposed to alert drivers to beware of dangerous weather conditions while driving, by lighting up when temperatures drop below freezing and icy conditions result. Designer Daan Roosegaarde, together with Heijmans Infrastructure came up with the idea and explained the made over roads will be treated with a unique 'foto-luminising powder' that charges up during the day and illuminates the contours of the road and lane markers at night for up to 10 hours, according to a report from NBC News. In an interview with Wired.co.uk Roosegarde told how he became inspired to take action. “One day I was sitting in my car in the Netherlands, and I was amazed by these roads we spend millions on but no one seems to care what they look like and how they behave,” said Roosegaarde. “I started imagining this Route 66 of the future where technology jumps out of the computer screen and becomes part of us.” The innovative concept will be realized in the Netherlands by next year, according to an article from the blog, Smart Planet. So far, it has already won Best Future Concept by Dutch Design Awards 2012.