Domenico Diego and Cristina Corradini created the “Street Safe Initiative”, a project that proposes the positioning of a brightly-colored layer of asphalt just a few centimeters beneath the road’s surface, so that once a pothole is formed, it becomes visible and thus drivers can easily see it. A test-program based on the initiative will be implemented later this year in Rho, Italy. The program represents a feasibility test for the idea - Diego plans to bring the product to multiple European markets.
“We have compared the road surface to the human skin - when we are wounded, we start to bleed. So our idea is to put a layer of yellow asphalt beneath the tarmac, which appears and creates a high chromatic contrast that is visible from a distance. This way, the potholes are signaled as they appear and road users have enough time to react safely,” Milan Polytechnic student Diego said.
However, the idea has already received negative reviews in the UK, as potholes.co.uk, a road maintenance campaign website considers that it does not represent a truly viable solution.
“This is an innovative way to make potholes more visible to road users and to help reduce the damage caused to vehicles. We’re all for pothole solutions that protect the motorist from potential car damage or personal injury, but the solution is not entirely practical and it doesn’t tackle the real issue of preventing potholes in the first place.”, Duncan McClure Fisher, Managing Director of Potholes.co.uk, said.
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