Are 'Flying Bike Lanes' The Solution For Our Congested Roads?

While street biking is fun, it can get a little dangerous, especially at busy intersections. Now, a civil engineer from Bulgaria has come with a solution that allows bikers to bypass the traffic by riding above it!

Martin Angelov first presented his idea for 'flying bicycle lanes' at the 2008 International City Interchange Transport competition. To his surprise, his simple sketch placed in the finals and he was asked to present his plans in detail in London in 2009 - And Koleinia or bike line, was born.

Koleinia comprises of two parts - a U-shaped tube, like a gutter, inside which the bike wheels sit and a guide cable that runs parallel to the rider at handlebar height. The biker tethers his handlebar to the cable, which acts like a safety line on a boat.

Martin's aim is not to replace all road bike trails, but simply provide a solution for short interpasses when the road is too congested to accommodate a bicycle. He also believes the 'flying bike lanes' could be used as tourist attractions - to allow them to see cities or even historical monuments like the pyramids in Egypt, from above.

While Martin's idea seems feasible, there are issues like how long it would take to harness a biker or how would a fast biker would be able to overtake a slower one, that still need to be resolved. And then, there is the issue of bikers who may be afraid of heights!

To figure out how to surmount some of these obstacles, Martin is planning to build a 15-20 meter prototype in the near future and test it out. So are 'flying bike lanes' in your future? Only time will tell, but it sure sounds like fun! To read more about the project, click on kolelinia.com.

sources: wired.com, Kolelinia.com, gizmag.com