Entire Boris bike fleet to be fitted with lasers

22nd December 2015

Joe Bush

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Do not be perturbed by the headline. The nation’s capital is not about to be awash with a fleet of cyclists whizzing around the streets like crazed Martian invaders, zapping anyone who is foolish enough to get in their way. In fact, following a successful trial earlier this year, the 11,500 strong fleet of London’s Boris bikes are actually going to be fitted with laser lights in order for their presence to be more visible to other road users - particularly lorries.

The Santander Cycles will be fitted with Blaze Laserlights which will project bright green bike logos onto the road, six feet in front of the approaching cycle, thus warning other road users and improving safety, especially in blind spot situations. The majority of the £860,000 cost of the re-fit (which will be completed by early next year), will be paid for by sponsor Santander.

In a Transport for London (TfL) survey of cyclists who trialled the bikes, TfL stated that around 75% said that they felt more confident, and just under half said they'd be more likely to use Boris bikes after dark if they had laser lights installed. The Blaze lights will come on automatically at night, to ensure as little energy wastage as possible.

The lights were designed two years ago by start-up company Blaze, and Chief Operating Officer Phil Ellis commented: “Personal safety is still the biggest barrier to cycling. We designed the Blaze Laserlight to actively reduce collisions and near misses by giving cyclists a larger footprint on the road, and helping them be seen in situations where they are otherwise invisible.”