Real Ideas Organisation

Our friends kinetic

Lolloping over a series of speed bumps in the backwaters of Devon on my way back from RIO’s away day earlier this week my blogging brain clicked into action. Irritating and nauseating as it was, it made me think about a feature I read in the Guardian in February, a brilliant example of true creative thinking.

The feature talked about ‘green’ speed bumps which capture the kinetic energy of moving vehicles, generating electricity as cars drive over them. The hi-tech "sleeping policemen" will power street lights, traffic lights and road signs in a pilot scheme in London that could be rolled out nationwide.

Peter Hughes, the designer behind the idea, said: "They are speed bumps, but they are not like conventional speed bumps. They don't damage your car or waste petrol when you drive over them - and they have the added advantage that they produce energy free of charge."

Now there is creativity in a nutshell - I’m all for slowing down on the roads, especially if it means saving the planet into the bargain. Creativity doesn’t necessarily mean painting, dancing, performing or writing – it’s about discovering innovative solutions for all sorts of problems, about doing things differently, about making change happen.

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