“Dark country roads can be a dangerous spot for cyclists. With no designated cycle lanes it can pose a challenge not only for the riders but drivers too. Two students from Desmond College in Newcastle West, Co Limerick, have addressed the situation with CycleSafe2000. Breda Magner and Evan Condon have created a product that mimics a cycle lane with the use of lasers.
“We decided that the best way to create something like that would be to get two lasers and put them on the back of the bike – we saw that when the bike was in motion it created a cycle lane.
“We had to make it water resistant and put a battery into it, so we created a cylinder where the battery and all the lights and electronics could go into it,” says Magner. “We had to find things that would be able to attach it on as well, so we found these elastic straps on the internet. We did a lot of trial and error, but eventually, we got what we wanted, and we found our finished products.”
Born out of a transition-year enterprise project, the pair are now in talks with an electric bike company which is considering CycleSafe2000 for all its products. They are also now looking further afield than the classroom for their manufacturing needs.
“We wanted to make safety front and centre of our products, regardless of the money we make – we always wanted it to be about safety. We gave it to a few of our friends who are part of a cycling club, they tested it out. When we give out our instructions to our customers we always say to have your feet hip-width apart and then you angle your lights down to your shoes and once you do that you create the line behind you. That line won’t distract any road-users.”
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