Singapore Testing Out Glow-In-The-Dark Roads For Better Visibility

Street lights are usually the preferred method when it comes to illuminating roads and pathways at night, but what if there was a more “green” solution that would not require any electricity? This is an idea that the Singapore government is testing out by implementing a pathway that glows in the dark.

This pathway is part of the government’s project to overhaul part of an old railway track, and the glow-in-the-dark pathway is one of the ideas that is being tested. The pathway glows thanks to the strontium aluminate compound embedded in it, in which it absorbs ultraviolet in the day from the sun in order to glow at night when it is dark.

Apart from being greener, the test was also to find a surface material that would be safer and more resilient to the daily wear and tear of people walking on it. The stretch of glow-in-the-dark path is pretty short at the moment at 100 m, but if successful it is possible that more of it will be implemented in the future.

Unfortunately as clever as the idea may be, the reality is that it isn’t quite as effective as you might think. Singaporeans have shared their thoughts on social media in which most are saying that the glow isn’t as bright as they had hoped. The photo above from Mashable was actually achieved through long exposure, but the reality is that it is still pretty dim.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General, Green
Tags: Science, _cold