Throughout 2024, social media users shared an image that they claimed shows a solar-powered glow-in-the-dark bicycle path in Poland that charges during the day and glows at night People said it was located in numerous different places with some users suggesting multiple paths could be found in several parts of the country One such Facebook post on Dec 5 read: "Glow-in-the-dark bicycle paths in Poland." Text in the image read: "In Poland bicycle paths glow at the night which are charged by the sun." Another Facebook post featuring a similar image, which had garnered more than 118,000 reactions as of this writing, was shared on Sept. 24, while another said the path was located in the town of Pruszków Elsewhere, a Reddit user who shared a different image said there was one such path in Poland: "There is a bicycle path in Poland that is solar-powered and glows in the dark." There is a bicycle path in Poland that is solar-powered and glows in the dark.byu/Sea_Land_1944 inDamnthatsinteresting the rumors included a mixture of true and false information presented in various forms we have elected not to provide a rating in this article likely AI-generated image (mentioned first above) contributed to the confusion It is located near Lidzbark Warmiński in the Mazury region Some social media posts incorrectly claimed it was in Pruszków, near the capital, Warsaw. This confusion likely arose from the fact that the path was designed by the TPA company, which is based in Pruszków Dr. Igor Ruttmar, CEO of TPA, explained in an interview with Gazeta Olsztyńska that the material used to create the path "is capable of emitting light for over 10 hours," meaning that light energy stored during the day makes it glow at night "This effect is solely due to the properties of the aggregate used without the need for additional energy sources For the construction of the path near Lidzbark Warmiński we chose blue-glowing phosphors to maintain consistency with the Masurian landscape," he added The path is 100 meters long and not a part of any major urban or national cycling infrastructure Some reviews and photos of the area were uploaded to Google Maps in 2023. However, Google Maps imagery from 2012-13 predates its creation meaning it neither shows the path as it was in 2016 nor provides any indication of its current state in 2025 TPA said via email that the path is operational but "due to the defective execution by our predecessors of the asphalt layers on which we built the path (among other things vegetation began to grow through the asphalt) we were forced to carry out renovation in 2022." The story about the glowing bicycle path was frequently shared alongside an image that did not depict the actual path displays several signs of being artificially created likely through digital manipulation or AI generation the stars and constellations depicted on the path look highly stylized and artificial the blue glow of the bike path is overly vibrant and evenly distributed which is not typical of real-life glowing materials genuine photographs of the bike path in question do exist with the one displayed below on the right being the most well-known example Other claims regarding bikes we have investigated in the past include a rumor that a photograph showed a "young Bill Gates" riding a bicycle in the 1970s and a story about a 66-year-old Swedish man who won a 1,800-kilometer (1,118-mile) bike race despite being too old to enter it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu38SHyj-XY https://www.google.com/maps/place/%C5%9Awiec%C4%85ca+%C5%9Bcie%C5%BCka+rowerowa-100+m/@54.148043,20.5586406,692m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x46e2f54a8c0dd339:0xe23ea1c2c03090c5!2zxZp3aWVjxIVjYSDFm2NpZcW8a2Egcm93ZXJvd2EtMTAwIG0!8m2!3d54.1482205!4d20.5584008!16s%2Fg%2F11h7bnf66z!3m5!1s0x46e2f54a8c0dd339:0xe23ea1c2c03090c5!8m2!3d54.1482205!4d20.5584008!16s%2Fg%2F11h7bnf66z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIwNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D Pierwsza w Polsce świecąca ścieżka rowerowa powstała pod Lidzbarkiem Warmińskim https://gazetaolsztynska.pl/386271,Pierwsza-w-Polsce-swiecaca-sciezka-rowerowa-powstala-pod-Lidzbarkiem-Warminskim-FILM.html "Pod Lidzbarkiem Warmińskim powstała pierwsza w Polsce świecąca ścieżka rowerowa." WP Wiadomości https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/pod-lidzbarkiem-warminskim-powstala-pierwsza-w-polsce-swiecaca-sciezka-rowerowa-6045733442572929a https://mobile.strabag.com/tpaqi_com_search/formulare/kontakt_pl.php "W Polsce powstała świecąca w ciemności ścieżka rowerowa." Crazy Nauka https://www.crazynauka.pl/w-polsce-powstala-swiecaca-w-ciemnosci-sciezka-rowerowa/ https://olsztyn.wyborcza.pl/olsztyn/7,48726,20752567,pierwsza-w-polsce-swiecaca-sciezka-otwarta-zdjecia.html 2025: This article was updated to include a response from TPA the company responsible for designing the path Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes This material may not be reproduced without permission Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information which is experimenting with a night-glowing bike path The Polish town of Lidzbark Warminski has a unique new way of constructing bike lanes: It makes them glow in the dark According to construction company Strabag the phosphors can hold a glow for 10 hours and recharge during the day The 330-foot-long lane is divided into two 6-foot-wide sections — one for cyclists and the other for pedestrians It cost the town $31,000 to install. The road is loosely modeled after a glow-in-the-dark lane built in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2014. That lane, called the "Van Gogh-Roosegaarde" cycle avenue was inspired by the famous painter's most recognizable piece the new lane doesn't require any energy source besides the sun Using glowing phosphors is certainly an innovative (if somewhat expensive) way to unobtrusively mark bike lanes so pedestrians and motorists remain aware of cyclists But the vibrant glowing lanes might do more than increase visibility and help cyclists avoid accidents; by making bikers feel safer it could encourage more people to get out and ride Check out the video below to see the lane as it appears during the day and night Two years ago, Studio Roosegaarde created a glow-in-the-dark bike path in Eindhoven helping to light the route in a exciting way a materials technology center in Lidzbark Warminski TPA Gesellschaft für Qualitätssicherung und Innovation (TPAQI) tells New Atlas that it first drew attention to the Eindhoven bike path at a local road forum event The underlying concept was floated as a potential option for creating something that would reflect the beauty of the surrounding landscape with lab tests into how the glowing effect would be created A variety of different materials and colors were tested with the aim of creating something that would both look great and that would increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians a fine aggregate containing inorganic luminophores (light-emitting constituents) was chosen The phosphorescent material is "charged" by sunlight and emits a blue luminescence A layer of this aggregate was applied to a trial 100-m (328-ft) section of an existing asphalt bike path and this was covered with a layer of small stone grits TPAQI says exposure to 30-60 minutes of daylight is enough to make the path glow for at least eight hours overnight It believes the material should retain its glowing properties for about 20 years the durability of the glow-in-the-dark section is being observed under real-world conditions The project was completed at the end of September Source: TPAQI Colossal Seeking to make bike paths safer and more accessible in the evening and night hours Poland just unveiled a new glow-in-the-dark bike lane The path is made from small crystal-like particles of phosphor called ‘luminophores’ that charge during sunlight hours and can glow for up to 10 hours The lane was built by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp z o.o who were partially inspired by Studio Roosegaarde’s stunning solar-powered bike path in the Netherlands mentioned here in 2014 Unlike the Netherlands’ concept, which uses solar-powered LEDs, this new path in Poland requires no external power source. The design is currently being tested to see how it withstands regular wear and tear. You can read more over on Inhabitat Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now Join more than 200,000 subscribers and get the best of art and visual culture from Colossal Copyright © 2025 Colossal. See our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Thank you!We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested You can also addto your safe senders list to ensure you never miss a message from us IFLScience HomeLuminescent Bike Paths Light Up Town In PolandComplete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy IFLScience HomeJoin for Exclusive Facebook emailTom is a writer in London with a Master's degree in Journalism whose editorial work covers anything from health and the environment to technology and archaeology. Facebook emailDOWNLOAD PDF VERSION Not only could these luminescent bike paths help make your cold and dreary winter commute to work a bit more pleasant they could help cut electricity usage and reduce light pollution They're currently part of a trial in the small town of Lidzbark Warmi?ski, northern Poland. The idea is the brainchild of TPA Instytut Badan Technicznych a construction company that specializes in developing road materials The pathways were created using thousands of tiny “luminophores”. The synthetic material can emit a low level of light for 10 hours and then “recharge” itself during the day purely from sunlight, according to Polish news site Wyborcza. That means the light is totally self-sufficient and doesn’t require any electricity perhaps replacing conventional street lights Although phosphors can glow in numerous colors the company and town council chose blue as they thought it suited the surrounding environment best they hope to roll it out across other towns in Europe This isn’t the first company to toy with the idea of harnessing luminescence to light up towns. Glowee, a France-based startup company, has been developing lights powered by bioluminescent bacteria to light up public areas and buildings “Similar bike path can be found in Netherlands Truthfully speaking it was an inspiration for us to do such project in Poland our technology is different and in contrary to Dutch solution it doesn’t need any additional power Creating such bike path is part of our currently running campaign for traffic safety increase” Waldemar Królikowski director of The Board of Regional Roads in Olsztyn said in a statement planet earth 117-Million-Year-Old Sediment Waves Near Africa Show How the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean Was Bon1 hour agolink to article animals Female Bonobos Can Elevate Their Status By Teaming Up To Gain Power Over Males2 hours agolink to article Biofluorescence vs Bioluminescence link to article T. Rex Leather, Glow-In-The-Dark Gas Clouds, And Musical Sea Lions link to article © 2025 IFLScience. All Rights Reserved. RSS poland’s new bike path offers a completely solar-powered solution all images © TPA instytut badań technicznych sp the glow-in-the-dark solar-powered cycle lane emits a bright blue shimmer that illuminates the pathway as the sun sets for a growing number of polish cyclists bicycles are a primary form of transportation as this bicycle population continues to grow the number of accidents between cyclists and pedestrians in the evening has also risen as the financial and environmental costs involved in providing overhead lighting for city bike paths are so high innovative solutions like TPA’s glowing path can reduce this AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style it comes as no surprise that 70% of Poland’s inhabitants commute via cycling people commute and let their hair down using two-wheeled pedal power as it is healthier for both the cyclist and the environment - and it is affordable too it's been claimed more than once that a cycling lane in this Eastern European country lights up at night as a solar-charged lane was installed in the Polish town of Lidzbark Warminski in 2016 The installation was inspired by another bike-friendly European nation - the Netherlands - as it was the first country in the world to create glow-in-the-dark bike lanes with its tribute to artist Vincent Van Gogh in the form of its "Starry Night" solar bike path the lane uses phosphors and can produce light for more than 10 hours This luminous stretch makes cycling in the dark safer and more convenient as cyclists will be able to see what’s ahead of them https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-11/a-glowing-bike-path-that-s-charged-by-the-sun-in-poland We would love to keep you posted on the latest promotion