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 Thank you!We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested You can also addnewsletters@iflscience.comto 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 FacebookemailTom 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. FacebookemailDOWNLOAD 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 plantsWhat Is A Dinosaur Tree? The Living Fossil Dinosaurs Once Munched On That's Still Around Today16 hours agolink to article animalsAncient Chinese Poetry Reveals The 1,400-Year Decline Of World’s Only Freshwater Porpoise17 hours ago72link to article T. Rex Leather, Glow-In-The-Dark Gas Clouds, And Musical Sea Lionslink to article The Five Most Common Headacheslink to article © 2025 IFLScience. All Rights Reserved. RSS 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 awesome present from the local authorities – a brand new sun-powered bicycle path that glows bright blue all night long Scientists at Polish construction company TPA Instytut Badan Technicznych in Pruszkow created the innovative 100-meter bicycle path using luminophores a synthetic material that lights up when charged with sunlight “The material we used for the track gives light for over ten hours That means the road can radiate throughout the whole night and reaccumulate light the following day” the new material can emit light in a variety of colors but designers chose blue because it went well with the surroundings in Lidzbark Warminski TPA was inspired to create this beautiful glow-in-the-dark cycling lane by the Starry Night bike path built by artist Daan Roosegaarde in the Dutch town of Nuenen But while Starry Night used LEDs powered by solar panels Polish researchers took the idea one step further by cutting out the middleman Their bike lane is entirely self-sufficient which means it is directly charged by sunlight The blue-glowing bike lane of Lidzbark Warminski is still in a testing phase as it is not known how long it will take for its luminescent properties to wear out but it seems like a brilliant way of improving the safety of people biking at night Instagram or YouTube Shorts – and use #whatsyourtour to show us what the Tour de France means to you… explore the countryside or just cruise down the road in a zen-like state Follow the Tour with general updates and become the best version of Peter Sagan you can be How to successfully explain that you need a new bike Factual reports on all the latest health trends and nutritional methods We’ll help you get the most out of your training sessions Veer off the main road and explore nature first-hand Learn to navigate the jungle that is city cycling For a sense of adventure that knows no bounds Guide your relatives toward the one thing that actually matters WeLoveCycling.com is an online magazine that brings you original stories fresh videos and special reports from the wide world of cycling We have seen cycling lanes glowing in the dark before Local authorities decided to cut out the middleman and power their new creation directly from the sun The researchers at Polish construction company TPA Instytut Badan Technicznych in Pruszkow built the unique bike path by incorporating luminophore This synthetic material lights up in bright blue when charged by sunlight The company admitted to being inspired by the Starry Night bike path we mentioned above Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde created it in Nuenen a city approximately 100 km south of Amsterdam But while his creation needs solar panels for power That means the road can radiate throughout the whole night and reaccumulate light the following day,” says TPA president Igor Ruttmar The bike lane is thus completely self-sufficient Plus it can emit light in a variety of colours The designers chose blue because it went well with the surroundings in the Polish town but it seems we have a new way of improving safety of people riding at night It's going to be so great to have you with us We just need your email address to keep in touch WeLoveCycling.com is an online magazine that brings you original stories 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 Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts Company prints and sews various pieces in a variety of materials and quantities on demand Interiors a professional supplier of high-quality textiles for hotels in addition to home goods based in Lidzbark is now operating a “microfactory” production model based on the Kornit Presto S system for eco-friendly direct-to-fabric production SE-DA offers a wide range of decorative fabrics It engages in e-commerce via its HotelTex website and prints and sews various pieces in a variety of materials and quantities on demand incoming orders are produced with very little set-up time the products are vivid and soft to the touch and the imprinted materials have a superior light and wash fastness necessary for long-term use Requiring less inventory has helped improve SE-DA’s bottom line “As the demands of our customers grew we found Kornit Presto S was the best all-around product we could find for high-quality printing to many different fabrics which gives us great flexibility,” says Damian Marchlewicz “The fact that pre- and post-treatment is completely inline makes it possible to print very quickly keeping costs low while ensuring the production process is environmentally-friendly as no water is used during the entire production process.” While Kornit’s system represented a significant investment for the business Marchlewicz noted that Kornit technicians have been very supportive and helpful in ensuring their comfort with using and maintaining the technology from the evaluation process to installation “Having completed a few training sessions we’ve found the Presto system very easy to operate without dedicating a lot of time to learning how to use it,” he says “Multiple prints go into a single feed and the customers get a very high-quality graphic that meets any standard in place We see a great future in the print-on-demand business.” www.kornit.com Digital textile printing a focal-point theme at Texprocess New impetus for microfactory concept in Berlin This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page We know that how we’re living now is harming our planet And that collective change is essential for its future But with so much to do and bad news nearly everyday Whether using new technologies in the city or adopting sustainable farming practices people globally are coming up with creative solutions to make the world a better place We picked out a few that remind us a greener future is possible Many of these ideas are still at the experimental stage and some will be more valuable as conversation-starters than large-scale solutions But they’re all great reminders of what’s possible when we’re willing to get creative and reimagine the world around us Because all we need to restore our hope is a jump into our imagination This experimental cycle path absorbs sunlight to light up in darkness making the path safer for cyclists at night which are small crystal-like particles that can take in energy from the sun then slowly release it as light It looks similar to a glow-in-the-dark sticker that you can put up on a ceiling The path is currently being tested for wear and tear Path created by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp Cycle path and pedestrian path glow blue at dusk © Strabag Pedestrians in Washington DC are doing more than just walking. At the Connecticut Avenue Overlook pocket park, they power outdoor street lights. As they walk, special tiles harness the energy generated by their footsteps. The project is a collaboration between the clean-tech British company Pavegen and the D.C People walking on energy-generating tiles in Washington DC Voisin / The Washington Post via Getty Images Hamburg houses the first algae-powered building in the world At the BIQ (Bio Intelligent Quotient) House the panels in the front are filled with growing algae The plants are able to generate renewable energy Called Supertrees, these tree-like structures behave as vertical gardens. Designed by Grant Associates act as exhaust air towers for nearby conservatories and collect rainwater in Singapore A majestic view of the Super Trees at Gardens by the Bay In Tláhuac in Mexico City, Greenpeace Mexico collaborated with Mexican engineers to present an electric pedicab prototype The batteries of the pedicabs are recharged at a solar station delivering a zero emissions solution for the local population A person rides an electric pedicab in Mexico City micro wind turbines that can work in a city They’re built in the shape of a tree and each of its 72 “leaves” acts as a mini wind-turbine to generate electricity The trunk and branches are made of steel and the leaves work at speeds as low as 4.5 miles per hour Although they don’t generate as much power as full-size wind turbines they’re an eye-catching reminder of the clean energy that’s all around us These wind trees are photographed at Le Bourget is a pair of residential towers designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri and located in the Porta Nuova district It is aimed at creating a welcoming habitat for humans and wildlife alike Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) towers in Milan Urban farming is allows the people of Jakarta to grow crops with limited green land available It gives people space to connect with nature their local community and grow things in a place they can easily access Abdulrahman (60 years) is caring for plants on his roof in Jakarta © Sijori Images/Future Publishing via Getty Images This solar-powered bus shelter – also known as a ‘Bee Bus Stop’ – has a roof planted with a mix of wildflowers and sedum plants These plants are rich in nectar and a favourite of bees and other pollinating insects They’re installed in many cities across the UK Brighton’s solar-powered “bee bus stop” has a green roof for pollinators the local community agreed to keep a sustainable fishery they choose fishing equipment and methods for the type of fish they want to catch They also set up fish houses to create nurseries for marine animals and won’t fish during breeding season Local fishers are catching fish in Khan Kradai Bay The deep sea is home to many weird and wonderful creatures But they're under threat from plans for deep sea mining Here’s why the spectacular Sargasso Sea should be one of the first new ocean sanctuaries created by the new Global Ocean Treaty 12 iconic photos from a year of disruptions - and the struggle to protect our future These biological super systems store up to 50 times more carbon than rainforests and are home to all sorts of life See stunning images and learn why wetlands are important… 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