Cycling in Poland just got a lot brighter, and a little bit stranger with a new glowing blue cycle lanes.This is news text.

A luminous bike lane was laid near Lidzbark Warminski in the north of the country.

Designed by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o., the lane was made from a synthetic material which gives out light for around 10 hours at night. During the daytime, the lane collects energy from the sun.

According to Next Nature Network, a 21st century nature organization, the light is emitted from luminophores, a kind of luminescent particle mixed in the material, which have different colors. One this lane, blue was selected because it fits in with the surrounding landscape.

Poland is not the first country to try out glowing bike lanes. The first luminous bike lane is thought to have been in Nuenen, a Dutch town around 100 kilometers south of Amsterdam, the capital. Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting “Starry Night” was painted on the bike lane and can glow at night in memory of the artist living there in 1883.

The eerie blue cycle lanes haven’t come to China yet but maybe it is just a matter of time? With the Paris Climate Change Agreement set to take effect next month many countries are encouraging people to “go green”, by walking or cycling more instead of driving. China has previously been called “a Kingdom of Bicycles” but driving is still on the increase. The Chinese government has laid out more bike lanes for commuters. In Beijing alone there is a total of 3,200km of bicycle lanes within the 5th ring road area.

Apparently, “low carbon” and “green life” have become key words of the 21st century. Take a look at the blue luminous lane.

(Photos: warszawa.wyborcza.pl)