Cycling has boomed over the last couple of years as the pandemic highlighted a greater need for personal mobility. That said, cyclists are also some of the most vulnerable road users today. In a bid to lessen accidents, one student from Brunel University London drew up a simple and effective idea to give cyclists better visibility.
It’s called Laser Lane, and it was drummed up by 23-year-old Ibrahim Cam. He was inspired to come up with the invention after he passed his driving test. He said that he struggled with overtaking and interacting with cyclists when he started out driving, also noting that most drivers did not respect the 1.5 meter rule between cars and bicycles. Because of that he wanted to create something that allowed drivers and cyclists to communicate with each other in ‘a safer and more constructive way, rather than just with hand signals’.
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So, there’s the thought behind the invention, but how does it work? The Laser Lane device must be connected to the handlebars of the bicycle. From there, Laser Lane projects a pair of red lights on to the pavement for other road users to (hopefully) respect the 1.5 meter rule. It also projects a white light at the front for oncoming traffic to see the cyclist.
Think of it then as wide taillights and daytime running lights for bicycles. Besides, the purpose of those parts is for extra visibility. If cars have them, why can’t bikes? Not only that, Laser Lane even has turn signals built in, and all the cyclist has to do is touch the device to indicate. Given that not all motorists are aware of cyclist hand signals, the turn signal of the Laser Lane gives a clearer message.
Cam hopes that his idea will help promote cycling even more in the future. "Less experienced cyclists might not feel confident enough to cycle at the moment, but if they feel safer on the roads, then they will cycle. Getting more people to cycle will reduce their carbon footprint and result in less congestion on the roads," said the student.
Hats off to you, Ibrahim. We hope your simple and clever invention hits the mainstream someday.
