Centerlines are the most common forms of road surface markings

Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information.

Road surface markings are used on paved roadways to provide guidance and information to drivers and pedestrians. Uniformity of the markings is an important factor in minimizing confusion and uncertainty about their meaning. Countries and areas categorize road surface markings in different ways.

Road surface markings are either mechanical, non-mechanical, or temporary. They can be used to delineate traffic lanes, inform motorists and pedestrians or serve as noise generators when run across a road, or attempt to wake a sleeping driver when installed in the shoulders of a road. The word lane has several meanings including and especially a portion of a paved Road which is intended for a single line of vehicles and is marked by White Driving is the controlled operation of a land Vehicle, usually a Motor vehicle such as a Truck or a car. A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot whether Walking or Running.

There is continuous effort to improve the road marking system, and technological breakthroughs include adding reflectivity, increasing longevity and lowering installation costs. Reflection is the change in direction of a Wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which

History

In the United States, painted white center lines were developed by Edward N. Hines, the chairman of the Wayne County, Michigan, Board of Roads. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Edward N Hines (1870-1938 was a member of the Wayne County, Michigan, Road Commission from 1906 to 1938 Wayne County is a county in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2061162 with an estimated population of Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. They were first used on roads in Michigan around 1911. ^[1]

White center lines were used until 1971. Yellow was used afterward^[2].

In England, the idea of painting a centre white line was first experimented in 1921 in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Sutton Coldfield ( is a town within the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Following complaints by residents over reckless driving and several collisions, the Sutton Coldfield Corporation decided to paint the line on Maney Corner in the area of Maney. Maney is an area of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It is situated close to the town centre of Sutton Coldfield and is also near Wylde ^[3]

In 1971, a correspondent for the Sutton Coldfield News wrote an article in the newspaper recalling the event. The Sutton Coldfield News is a free weekly Newspaper serving the area of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

Mechanical markers

Mechanical devices may be raised or recessed into the road surface, and either reflective or non-reflective. Reflection is the change in direction of a Wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which Most are permanent; some are movable.

Botts' dots (low rounded white dots), named for the California engineer, Elbert Botts, are one type of a mechanical non-reflective raised marker. Botts' dots are round nonreflective Raised pavement markers In many U Dr Elbert Dysart Botts ( January 2, 1893 - April 10, 1962) was the California Department of Transportation ( Caltrans) engineer Generally they are used to mark the edges of traffic lanes, frequently in conjunction with raised reflective markers. A raised pavement marker is a safety device used on Roads. These devices are usually made with plastic ceramic or occasionally metal and come in a variety

Botts' dots are also used across a travel lane to draw the drivers attention to the road. They are frequently used in this way to alert drivers to toll booths, school zones or other significant reduction of speed limit. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards school zone refers to an area on a Street near a School or near a crosswalk leading to a school that has a likely presence of Pedestrians School zones generally They are normally only used in warm climates since snow plows usually remove them along with the snow. A snowplow (also spelled snow plow, snowplough or snow plough, see miscellaneous spelling differences) is a vehicle or a device intended

Similar to Bott's dots, "rumble strips" are commonly used for the same purpose. Rumble strips (also known as audio tactile profiled markings) are a Road safety feature that alert drivers to potential danger by causing a Tactile A rumble strip is a simple trough (typically 1 cm deep and 10 cm wide) that is ground out of the asphalt or concrete in a perpendicular line across a roadway or shoulder. Usually closely grouped together, five or 10 of these troughs create a loud vibration when driven over that will alert a driver to various upcoming hazards. This type of rumble strip may warn a driver approaching a stop sign in a rural area. Another form of the rumble strip is continuously placed on the shoulder of a highway to wake drivers who may fall asleep. The rumble strips on the shoulder of the road can wake the weary driver before they drive into the ditch.

Reflective markers, known as cat's eye in some countries, are used as travel lane dividers, to mark the central reservation (median) or to mark exit slip-roads. Being reflective, they are more visible at night and in inclement weather. The colour of markers varies depending on the country of use.

These markers can be used for other purposes such as marking the locations of fire hydrants (blue) or at gates of gated communities to indicate that emergency service vehicles have a code or device that allows them to open the gate. A fire hydrant (also known colloquially as a fire plug in the United States or as a johnny pump in New York City, because the firemen of the In its modern form a gated community is a form of Residential community containing controlled entrances for Pedestrians Bicycles and Automobiles In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, raised markers are used to mark crosswalks (crossings) to assist the blind in crossing streets. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In colder climates, reflective markers may be installed below ground using an elongated narrow triangle, cut into the road surface that allows the device to be installed below the road surface. Newer technology allows these to be placed above ground with snowploughable rails that attempt to protect the reflective components from the snowplough blade.

Non-mechanical markers

Paint

Paint, sometimes with additives like reflective glass beads, is generally used to mark travel lanes. It is also used to mark spaces in parking lots or special purpose spaces for handicap parking (blue), loading zones, or time restricted parking areas. Parking lot (called a car park in Australia and the UK) is a cleared area that is more or less level and is intended for Parking vehicles Colors for these applications vary by locality. Paint is a low-cost marking and has been in widespread use since approximately the early 1950s.

Paint is usually applied right after the road has been paved. The road is marked commonly by a truck called a "Striper. " These trucks contain hundreds of gallons of paint stored in huge drums which sit on the bed. The markings are controlled manually or automatically by the controller who sits on the bed. Paint is run through a series of hoses under air pressure and applied to the roadway surface. After application, the paint dries fairly quickly.

Painted symbols, such as turn-lane arrows or HOV lane markers, are applied manually using templates. In Transportation engineering and Transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane (or HOV lane) is a lane reserved for Vehicles with

Plastic

Hot Tape markings ready to be applied to the road surface with a blow torch in Brussels, Belgium

Plastics were introduced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is Commonly referred to as "tape" or "cold plastic," this product is heavy-grade material with reflective beads embedded in the plastic. It is commonly used to mark crosswalks, stop bars and traffic guidances such as turn lanes, HOV lanes, train crossings, pedestrian crossings, taxi lanes, bus lanes, and bike lanes. Crosswalk button neJPG|right|thumb|The button one pushes to activate the crosswalk signal The word lane has several meanings including and especially a portion of a paved Road which is intended for a single line of vehicles and is marked by White In Transportation engineering and Transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane (or HOV lane) is a lane reserved for Vehicles with The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing Crosswalk button neJPG|right|thumb|The button one pushes to activate the crosswalk signal A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane on a road restricted to Buses and generally used to speed up public transport otherwise held up by traffic congestions Segregated cycle facilities are Roads tracks paths or marked lanes designated for use by Cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded Generally speaking, there are three ways to apply tape:

1. Overlay - This method refers to the actual application being laid over the surface of the pavement. Using industrial-grade rubber cement, once the tape is combined with the pavement, it should last three years. Major obstacles to estimated life are snow-plows, salt, and mis-application.
2. Inlay - In this case, the tape physically becomes part of the asphalt. Using the heat generated in the paving process, road workers lay special tape on the asphalt in the hardening process and pavers on rollers compress the two together.
3. Hot Tape - This is the oldest method and is widely disappearing. During the process, the road worker lays out pre-manufactured shapes in the design required. Once in place, a blow torch is used to melt the plastic on the surface of the road. Typically, this is a slower process and more prone to a dull, burnt color of the finished product.

Epoxy

Epoxy has been in use since the late 1970s and has gained popularity over the 1990s as the technology has become more affordable and reliable. This material competes directly with plastic with respect to usage and cost.

Temporary markers

Pylons are sometimes used to separate HOV lanes from regular traffic lanes. In Transportation engineering and Transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane (or HOV lane) is a lane reserved for Vehicles with They are also used in areas where lanes are used at different times for travel in both directions. These pylons have shafts that drop into holes in the road surface. A good example of this type of use is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city

Country specific information

United States

In the U. S. , the type, placement, and graphic standards of traffic signs and road surfaces are legally regulated — the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is the standard, although each state produces their own manual based upon the Federal manual. Most countries post signage known as traffic signs or road signs, at the side of Roads to The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA of the United States Department of Transportation

Generally white lane markings indicate a separation between lanes traveling in the same direction while yellow markings indicate opposing traffic on the other side of the line. In some areas, such as Colorado, black material is applied on the surface before a shorter white line is painted. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. This improves the contrast of the marking against "white" concrete.

In California, the white round ceramic button reflectors used to mark lanes on most freeways are known as Botts' dots, after Elbert Botts, the Caltrans engineer who invented the epoxy that keeps them glued down. Botts' dots are round nonreflective Raised pavement markers In many U Dr Elbert Dysart Botts ( January 2, 1893 - April 10, 1962) was the California Department of Transportation ( Caltrans) engineer The California Department of Transportation ( Caltrans) is a Government department in the U A large number of California cities also use Botts' dots on some (or all) major arterials. The notable exception is the City of Los Angeles, which cannot afford to maintain any raised lane markers due to its fiscal problems, and uses only paint. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

In California and Nevada, the reflectors are usually the lines, and no paint is used. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. Exceptions include: freeways built from white concrete where painted stripes are added to make the lanes more visible through sun glare, freeways built so wide that the risk of drifting is minimal (e. g. , Interstate 5 in the Central Valley), and freeways in areas where it snows in the winter (since the snowplows would scrape off the Botts' Dots). Interstate 5 (I-5 is the main Interstate highway on the West Coast of the United States, paralleling the Pacific Ocean from Canada to Mexico The Central Valley is a large flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U

A typical stretch of Valencia Boulevard in Valencia, California, where the lanes are marked only by Botts' dots. Valencia is a Planned community located in Los Angeles County California in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to The bridge in the distance carries a paseo (a type of dedicated pedestrian pathway unique to Valencia) over the roadway.

In general, single broken lines mean passing is allowed, single solid lines mean pass only to avoid a hazard, and double solid lines mean it is prohibited, as it often is in tunnels. A tunnel is an underground passageway The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon On two-lane roads, a single broken centerline means that passing is allowed in either direction, a double solid centerline means passing is prohibited in both directions, and the combination of a solid line with a broken line means that passing is allowed only from the side with the broken line and prohibited from the side with the solid line.

Crosswalks are indicated at a minimum by a pair of white lines. On major boulevards, crosswalks are further highlighted by zebra stripes, which are large white rectangles in the crosswalk perpendicular to traffic.

Western Europe

Some Western European countries reserve white for routine lane markings of any kind, and use yellow to indicate when lanes are being shifted temporarily to make room for construction projects. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe '

In the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and the UK, so-called "naked roads" have been trialled, whereby all visible road markings, kerbs, traffic lights, and signs are removed. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located When this was tested in a village in the UK county of Wiltshire, the county council reported that accidents fell by a third, with motorists' speed falling by an average of 5%. Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County. It has been suggested that naked roads force drivers to make eye contact with other road users, and that it is this nonverbal communication that is responsible for the reduction of accidents. Nonverbal communication (NVC is usually understood as the process of Communication through sending and receiving Wordless messages ^[4]

In the U.K., zig-zag lines are painted on the street either side of a pedestrian crossing. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A zigzag is a Pattern made up of small corners at variable angles though constant within the zigzag tracing a path between two Parallel lines; it can be described Crosswalk button neJPG|right|thumb|The button one pushes to activate the crosswalk signal Motorists should not overtake, wait or park in the vicinity [1].

New Zealand

Although New Zealand follows the convention of a solid yellow line to indicate no passing on roads with two-way traffic, it uses long dashed white lines to indicate when passing against opposing traffic is allowed on two-lane roads and shorter ones to separate lanes going in the same direction. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

See also

• Cat's eye
• Federal Highway Administration
• Raised pavement marker

References

External links

• U.S. Federal Highway Administration - Learn About Pavement Markings