APRIL 2014
www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk
Report exposes standard of UK’s road markings
George Lee, national director of the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA), looks at the results of a road markings survey on over 7,000km of the UK’s road network
If I went to the supermarket, bought a bag of apples, got them home and found that half of them were rotten, I am sure that every right-thinking person would agree that I should get my money back.
With that in mind, what should our reaction be when we discover that half of road markings across all types of road in the UK, whilst not rotten, are in such a state that they are in need of immediate replacement or should be scheduled now for replacement?
The 2014 LifeLines report is the result of a survey of road markings on over 7,000km of the UK’s road network and is the largest and most comprehensive survey published of its kind. It found that across all types of road in the country nearly half (47 per cent) of road markings are in need of immediate attention.
In many cases, like with my apples, these markings have already been paid for, that is, contractors have received payment to properly maintain the markings and our robust evidence suggests that they are not doing so.
Keeping drivers safe
Road markings, as we all know, are the most cost-effective safety device available to road engineers. Markings guide road users, provide advance warning of potential dangers ahead and create a safer environment for all using the shared space, be they motorists, pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. The humble white line can save lives and it is therefore important that they are maintained to a suffi cient standard that they do their job properly. If a line is so worn that it cannot be seen, it may as well not be there and what the fi ndings of this survey have identifi ed is that rigorous monitoring of the standards of lines here in the UK must take place.
The government has pledged billions of pounds to highways improvement over the next six years, but what this report has shown is that on busy roads improvements need to be made in not just the repair, but also the maintenance cycles.
The best example of this is the M3 just west of London, a road with extremely high volumes of traffi c using it on a daily basis. Ninety three per cent of markings are adjudged to be either failing or in need of scheduled replacement within six months, showing that those responsible for the planning of highway maintenance need to look at factors such as the volume of traffi c and possibly reclassifying where and when markings are renewed.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “Our roads are among the safest in the world. Our motorways and key routes are the responsibility of the Highways Agency, who monitor the status of network and take prompt action to remedy road markings that need improvement. In the majority of cases the maintenance of road markings is carried out as part of planned work.
“The local road network is the responsibility of local highway authorities, and it is for those authorities to ensure that their roads are fi t for purpose. The government is providing over £3.4 billion in this Parliament and over £5.8 billion in the next for local highways maintenance.”
Working together
Nobody is perfect and obviously factors such as the extreme fl ooding in the south west of England of late mean that emergency funds have, quite rightly, to be diverted to those most in need, something we both understand and agree with, but can we do more?
Well we think we can and the way forward is dialogue between all parties concerned. Only through cooperation and a real concerted effort from all parties can we make the necessary improvements to the UK road network.
Supplementing this, for the fi rst time, this year’s annual Road Marking Conference will also include a seminar on highways asset management, with the aim of bringing both the contractors and the specifi ers together in one location and opening the lines of conversation so that each may understand the issues and challenges faced by the other and fi nd ways to work together towards a common goal; better and safer roads across the UK.
The issue, which I am sure is not unique to the markings sector, needs highways authorities to bring pressure to bear on main contractors to ensure that the resources they already have are focused upon maintaining the quality of the road marking network and thereby providing road users with a safe driving environment.
State of markings according to 2014 Lifelines report
All roads 17%
47%
Motorways 16%
Need replacing immediately or scheduled for replacing
Are excellent
52%
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