Magyar Közút (Hungarian Public Roads), which oversees a network extending for 32,000km around the country, has just released details of a new initiative to illuminate sections of the EuroVelo 6 route around Esztergom. This is not only a popular destination for cyclists from Budapest but also part of the EuroVelo network that covers the whole of Europe. Route 6 starts at the Loire in France then follows the Danube from Germany to the Black Sea.
The material being used to light the way is a photoluminescent borosilicate material embedded in a special resin, filled with sunlight by day, then glowing on the surface after dark. During the experimental phase, surfaces were treated with various concentrations to ascertain the most effective.
Pilot lighting
According to Magyar Közút: “We received a lot of positive feedback from cyclists riding on these sections. We are very confident that this pilot project will work well in the long run and we will be able to use it in other locations, as well”.
The current EuroVelo 6 project is part of a wider scheme to improve illumination and security on pedestrian crossings, cycle paths and pavements using this same method.
