while i am by no means a perfect driver, i am a very well intentioned driver. i do my very best to signal, make eye contact, etc. however, i often find myself having difficulty with lane markings, usually when it's dark, foggy, or when the paint has worn off.
i propose lane markings that are made of a phosphorescent material and embedded in the pavement, rather than painted on. perhaps they would be glow in the dark and "recharge" via sunlight, or perhaps some kind of chemical process that would need replenishing over time.
i have seen little embedded reflectors in lane markings, but those only work right near your car. looking several car lengths into the gloom, where you really need to see the lane markings, you can't see anything.-- urbanmatador, Apr 03 2003 Botts' Dots and Life-Lites http://www.its.berk...fall99/genesis.htmlThe manufacturer claims that Life-Lites can be seen as far as 1000 feet in any weather condition, which seems adequate since I don't think I could see a glow-in-the-dark version at any greater distance. [jurist, Oct 17 2004] Reflecto Roadway markers. http://www.reflecto.co.uk/products.htmlSolar powered or otherwise. [Cedar Park, Oct 17 2004] Intelligent road studs! http://www.astucia.co.uk.htmlThese guys seem to know a thing or two!! [sy_246, Oct 17 2004] Glow in the dark roads http://arstechnica....but-in-netherlands/I guess we can claim credit for this one. [ytk, Apr 14 2014] Sorry -1-- Mr Risk, Apr 03 2003 Road marking paint in UK has reflective spheres in it. Would that suffice to bake this?-- angel, Apr 03 2003 I think this is a great idea, but i think i just made it better... We take all the prisoners and get them to squish the phosphorescent material out of lightning bugs, and we will paint the road lines with the junk!!!
Dont nominate me for the nobel yet please, it's still a work in progress-- smellyarse, Apr 03 2003 It's not alone there.-- angel, Apr 03 2003 [angel] the trouble with reflectors is that they work only at a limited range. i want the whole line to be lit and visible from any distance, rather than dependant on reflected headlights.-- urbanmatador, Apr 04 2003 Well, I've never had any problem with seeing the lines as far away as necessary. It sounds as though either your headlamps are incorrectly adjusted or you're driving too quickly.-- angel, Apr 04 2003 Be glad you don't live in L.A. - some stripes are *barely* there, as they haven't been repainted since before chariots were invented, I think.-- thumbwax, Apr 04 2003 I would like to propose that you get your eyes tested if you cant see the road markings you should not be on the road ( are you a trafic cop by any chance)and as for the other gentelman stops eating pointy mushrooms(if you boil them in a tea form there much better). one good idea that no one else has thought of is to capture hundreds of thousends of fire flys and make them lye down in the middle of the road,that would do the job. TIM. 05/04/03-- TIM01, Apr 04 2003 [angel] headlamps adjusted fine, better than average eyesight, and the lane marking i'm referring to are difficult to see even when i'm not moving.
the problem is fog and glare from oncoming headlights.
and since when was it considered good feedback on an idea to simply challenge whatever conditions caused the baker to think it up in the first place?-- urbanmatador, Apr 06 2003 How about placing internally lighted life-sized statues of great philosophers, poets, authors, scientists and the like between driving lanes?
"Hey look, Mom, there's the Dali Lama!"-- Don Quixote, Apr 06 2003 Or Comedians. Then you'd have humourous lane dividers.
But seriously folks, do such materials exist? I would like to see these lines in existence. One of the routes I can take home from woik involves a two mile stretch of unlit country road. In winter, when it's dark morning and evening, It can be difficult to judge exactly where the centre of the road is. It would be nice to be able to see beyond the reach of my headlights, especially as the times when I most need to see the lights are pointing in the wrong direction.-- egbert, Apr 06 2003 Snow?-- Shz, Apr 06 2003 No, it would have to be more permanent than snow.-- egbert, Apr 06 2003 Another problem with reflectors is that they are sod-all use in any place that needs the road plowed regularly.-- WanderingKnight, May 17 2003 Except that the good ones are ramp-countersunk into the road surface such that a plow blade cannot damage them because the tops are below grade.-- bristolz, May 17 2003 The Ministry of Highways up here in BC used to replace the reflectors every spring after the plows had their way with them. Now they're sunk into the road, like bris described. Unfortunately, most of the roads which reflectors are needed for are curvy. This means that the reflectors are often "in the shadows" of my headlights whenever they veer off in any direction but straight. If they could make the depressions a bit wider, this wouldn't happen.
That'd cost money, though. Can't have that.-- rapid transit, May 23 2003 San Francisco now has crosswalks that twinkle with some kind of powered light (LEDs?) when an IR beam detects crossing pedestrians.
So yeah, kinda like that.-- beland, Oct 23 2003 Yeah, well checkout "Astucia", www.astucia.co.uk just to see how good they really are!!!! and ask for the ginger fella!!!! ALAN............................-- sy_246, Jan 21 2004 On a drive up from Vancouver, BC to Prince Rupert a few weeks ago i noticed they've replaced the old small wooden posts with cheap reflective tape on the top with fancier metal ones that have much brighter reflectors screwed on to them. At night you can see glowing white dots a few feet above the edge of the road for a long way (or at least until the road curves).-- BikBear, May 05 2004 Well, it took over a decade, but [urbanmatador] should expect a royalty check any day now. (link)-- ytk, Apr 14 2014 We need to get those here. I'd bet real money they'd cut down on the number of deer and moose struck by vehicles at night; moose especially are the very devil to spot on the road, because they are nearly black (which blends into the night much better than true black) and their pelt is non- reflective. You only see them if they are backlit or if they turn to look at you.-- Alterother, Apr 14 2014 random, halfbakery