STEPPED MARKINGS |
Keeping road markings visible
in challenging conditions
An unusually designed road marking based on a staircase is leading
the way in improving visibility in hazardous road conditions
Words | Alexis Sheridan, Kelly Bros International, Ireland
Above: Clear
road markings
are essential at
all times, but
particularly in harsh
winter conditions
when visibility can
be reduced and in
which snowplows
can damage and
erode the markings
There’s nothing we can do to
stop the skies going dark at
night, heavy rain from falling
or a combination of both.
However, we still need to drive
in these conditions. The products
manufactured to improve road
marking visibility in dark and wet
conditions must work hard to protect
road users in such environments.
In some northern European
countries, rumble lines are milled
into the road surface to aid drivers’
understanding of the positioning of
the lines when visibility is reduced.
The Nordic and Scandinavian
climate presents specific
challenges, and the product
applied must be durable
enough to withstand
snowplows but flexible
enough to absorb studded
tires. In addition, such
solutions must meet the
normal demands of antiskid
properties, whiteness,
reflectivity and visibility
under wet conditions.
Central Europe is especially
challenging for visibility on
wet nights.
116 Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2020
A double challenge for drivers
In these regions, road users face two
main challenges. The first is physical:
retention of road markings over time
is undermined by the essential use
of heavy snowplows, which can
damage and erode the lines. The
second is perceptual: when driving
at night in wet conditions, motorists
simply cannot see road markings
because the lines seem to disappear
in heavy rain.
Most retroreflective road
markings contain thousands of
glass beads that turn light from
headlights back to the driver
to make lines visible at night.
While glass beads remain
a popular component in
lane-marking, they are
problematic during rain or
when under water because
they sometimes seem to
disappear. The solution to
these problems lies in the
physics of retroreflectivity
and the index of refraction
as it relates to these markings.
The difficulty faced
by drivers in wet, night-time
conditions is that even white
road markings look black in heavy
rain, appearing to meld into the
tarmac, and lead to confusion,
erratic driving and potentially
fatal accidents. The question for
road marking manufacturers is:
how can the high visibility of road
markings be retained in adverse
weather conditions?
Innovative solutions
Extreme conditions call for
innovative solutions and, for around
60 years, Kelly Bros International has
developed products for dramatically
diverse environments.
After decades of research and
testing, the company manufactures
products to withstand and perform
in extreme conditions – hot and
cold – that are no barrier to the
successful application and retention
of road markings. Its products are
manufactured in Ireland, where
stringent regulations ensure some
of the highest standards in the
world. For example, manufacturers
must ensure road markings remain
and meet reflectivity, luminance,
skid and chromaticity values after
three years.
The company’s resilient methylmethcrylate
(MMA) cold plastic
includes the BritePlast range, a
premium, hard-wearing cold plastic
that displays high visibility during
the day, and both luminance and
Even white road markings
look black in heavy rain,
leading to confusion, erratic
driving and potentially
fatal accidents