Another delightful feature of the lack of investment in our road infrastructure, is that some of the important road markings have faded away from many of our roads. Road markings are, obviously, important. They are there for a reason. They make our roads safer and give drivers and riders valuable information. They are the language of the road, and communicate with road users, letting them know what is coming up ahead, where to turn and stop, where the lanes are and a hundred and one other bits of essential data.

 

A survey of road users carried out by the RAC * shows that 21% of them have noticed that most of the road markings in their area have worn or faded away. A further 71% claim that at least some of their local road markings are a shadow of their former selves. A further 72% say that the issue has got worse in the last five years and 92% think that it is making driving more dangerous.

 

The Road Most Travelled
The one most road users surveyed have pointed out (50%), is that the lines down the centre of the road, which separate the lanes of traffic travelling in different directions, are rapidly fading to become almost invisible. This stands to reason as they are probably the most likely to get worn out and the hardest to be re-painted. 
Almost half of those surveyed (48%) observed that the arrows on roundabouts or junctions are much paler now, while 44% have noticed that give way road markings are vanishing and another 43% state that the paint on yellow boxes is fading. Junction stop lines have been highlighted by 41%, and 36% say speed limit signs painted on the roads are now really faint. Given the amount of traffic on our roads it is not surprising that paint, road markings and road furniture are getting worn out over time, the problem is that they are not being maintained.

 

Whiter Shade Of Pale
Motorcyclists and drivers are suffering the consequences of our fading road markings. It is making roads more dangerous as it is less easy to see what is going on. Road users are having to guess where the lanes are and, for example, can drift into the wrong lane without noticing. Some report having overshot junctions as it wasn't clear where the stop lines and give way markings were.
84% of road users think that road safety is being seriously impacted by this in their area, and think it would be much safer if road markings were repainted. 91% wish that the local authority would do a better job of ensuring that painted road markings were clearer.

More research carried out for the latest RAC Report on Motoring** found that faded road markings and poor drainage are the joint second largest safety issues on the roads with the first being - you guessed it coming in at 80% - the actual state of our roads i.e yes, potholes!

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: 
“Drivers are widely reporting that road markings have been left to fade into obscurity, making roads less safe as a result. The problem appears to have got progressively worse as a majority of drivers say the visibility of markings has deteriorated in the last five years. And, while all painted lines are important to ensure drivers do the right thing, the fact some, such as those dividing lanes and even stop lines are disappearing, is troubling.
“While the Government has just published the country’s first road safety strategy in more than a decade, this is one key area that shouldn’t be forgotten. We urge them to work with councils to rectify this situation, as markings are painted onto the road for good reason: to keep drivers and other road users safe by clearly informing them of what they should and shouldn’t be doing.
“It’s frightening to think almost one-in-five of drivers have had a near-miss as a result of faded road markings and more than one-in-10 have overshot a junction. Leaving these most vital markings to just wear away makes no sense whatsoever. While there’s clearly a cost to maintaining them, the cost of letting them disappear doesn’t bear thinking about.”

 

Is this something you have noticed on the roads near you as you ride around, and do you feel that it impacts road safety, or is it just something else to get outraged about and isn't really important?

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