Canberra cyclists can ride on a glow in the dark bike track that will be trialled as an alternative to street lights for the first time in the ACT next week.
A surface treatment that would light up at night had been applied to a 220 metre-long path.
The product looked like thick sandpaper and was made from a combination of aggregate and minerals which absorbed sunlight to provide eight or more hours of illumination.
Places such as parks and nature reserves do not have street lighting due to the impact on native fauna and high costs and this technology, which allows the path to emit a soft glow at night, is a great alternative to the more traditional overhead lighting. The surface has now been applied and will take a number of days to settle before its full illumination comes into effect early next week.
The glowing path would boost safety for pedestrians and cyclists at night and was expected to have less of a negative impact on nocturnal animals than street lights.