Singapore is Testing Out Glow-in-the-Dark Pathways

Singapore is Testing Out Glow-in-the-Dark Pathways
Ryan General
July 26, 2017
In an effort to make evening walks on a renovated pathway more convenient, Singapore has started testing a system that will make its roads illuminate in the dark.
The trail, which used to be a portion of an abandoned railway track, is being converted by local government agencies into a walkway as part of a huge project to develop the area.
A former railway connecting Singapore to Malaysia closed in 2011, the Rail Corridor extends from the city center to the north of the island. The new project includes the creation of parks and public housing in the stretch of the trail.
According to Mashable, making the path glow in the dark is an innovation the team behind the Rail Corridor project would like to try.
To make the track glow, the team embedded strontium aluminate compounds in the pavement. As the added chemical is known to emit luminescence, the road is expected to light up in the dark.
For the test, an initial 100-meter (328 ft) long stretch has been fitted with the material.The success of the tests will determine if the material will be used across the 24 km (15 mi) long project.
The agencies are testing the current build to ensure if the material would be suited for the trail by conducting evaluations on the materials’ durability. They will also be seeking the public’s feedback on the trial path.
Unfortunately, visitors to the site have revealed that the trail currently emits an underwhelming glow. Most pictures online had to be manipulated with a longer exposure time just to capture the supposed “glow” from the road. 

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“I was hoping it was bright enough to see my face,” a resident near the site told Mashable. “[It’s] slightly underwhelming.”
“I think it’s quite interesting for this area as a test bed for all this material,” another resident expressed.
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