As a cyclist and driver, I have sympathy with a) cyclists who feel that they are treated unfairly by drivers and b) drivers who find it hard to see cyclists. Its pretty hard to see a cyclist in busy traffic during the day, let alone at night. My commute takes me out of London into unlit country lanes, and as a result I don't commute during the winter when its dark for my entire journey.
Two designers, Evan Gant and Alex Tee, have designed LightLane, a product which would make life easier for cyclists. What started off as an entry into the 2009 International Design Excellence Awards, won Gold, is now patent pending, was picked up by Wired Magazine and fingers crossed that Alex and Evan can get it into production.
Using lasers affixed to the rear seat-post of a bike, LightLane projects a virtual bike lane around the rider creating a personal cycling lane and boundary for the rider.
Now whilst this isn't perfect, and many drivers still wont notice - its a great idea that should make drivers think and hopefully give cyclists a wider berth. Although I doubt it would protect cyclists from idiots like James Martin (Brad Wiggins v James Martin post is here)
So good luck to Alex and Evan at Lightlane, I hope they can get the LightLane product manufactured - its a great idea and I for one like it!Come on guys - get it off the ground!
