Worn traffic markings on the roads

Joseann

Now here's a bit of useless information from my bank of stories. Did you know cats' eyes were designed in the 1930s by a man driving along in the fog who couldn't see the metal tramlines he usually followed in the dark, because they had been removed or something? Along came a stray cat, and the car's headlamps picked up the cats' eyes shiny eyes instead. Et voilà he had the brainwave to invent a similar thing for the roads in the way we know the lights today. Cats' eyes served greatly during the blackouts of World War 2.
Now, IF you're still listening, this is where it gets even more interesting. The actual design of the way these lights worked was invented by a Frenchman! (I can't remember all the names, I'd need to look them up). Anyway, the name given to the light is a retroreflector or retroflector, otherwise poshly called a cataphote. Get it? So, cats' eyes and cataphotes. But the silly French people didn't follow this through to installing les yeux de chat on their roads.
Thank you for listening!! That's the History/French/Science lesson ticked for today at school. 😻 😻

I'm listening, Joseann - but I'm afraid I can't hear a word...

Just travelled a few hundred miles on the A1 and M1 and there are pot holes in both of them. Along with several stretches of motorway where lane marking were non existent. What on earth is happening to our roads? This is on top of playing dodge the pothole on all minor roads! Have to avoid the many puddles on roads in case there’s a pothole under them and any journey is spent making a note of potholes to avoid on the way back, especially as we might be travelling after dark! It’s almost become an accepted way of life along with not being able to get an NHS dentist or see a doctor!

I used to hate driving at night on a stretch of the A 40 from Oxford to the M40, because the markings/cats’ eyes were so poor.
The difference since they’ve all been replaced or upgraded, is amazing.

I can no longer drive at night on any unlit and completely unmarked country roads, but that’s an age-related, night vision thing.

The powers that be can opt out of using our depleted NHS or education service by “ going private”, but we all need good roads.

It feels like all the roads - old/new/ major/side roads - are disintegrating into holes, pits, dirt tracks and I feel we ought to be driving all terrain vehicles not cars! White lines are fading or non existent apart from the multiple lines painted in Edinburgh which are barely wide enough for a bubble car never mind a bus and allow bus passengers to disembark in the cycle lane. Grrrr!

Around 15 years ago, our government banned the use of some paints for use on roads because they were not environmentally friendly.

It has been terrible since then. In our town, we have to have the roads re-painted every year, and it is worn out within months in busy areas. We have been on highways on rainy evenings with no idea if we are in the lane we should be. I wish they could come up with a better paint quality.

They introduced a controlled parking zone (CPZ) round here in August and painted bays for parking. Lots of the lines are worn out already. Where my daughter lives she got a parking ticket for parking outside the white lines, appealled with a photo of near invisible lines, got it overturned and they came and re painted the lines. Only seem interested where it affects their revenue stream.

i find which lane for which direction depends on the relative amount of traffic. On one cross roads with lights in our local town, going east a lot of the traffic goes left at the junction so inside lane is left only outside lane is straight ahead/right.

On the west route, inside lane is straight ahead/left. Outisde lane is right only.

On our local major roundabout with a motorway, there are 4 lanes. each specific to a roundabout exit and God help you if you get in the wrong lane.

What caused this thread was driving round a medium sized old city where lane directions changed every hundred yards as different roads of different traffic weights turned in on both sides, merged, unmerged split. Get it really wrong and you could be halfway to London or Edinburgh before you could untangle yourself. Clear white lines, with long marked tails are essential

Grantanow

The poor state of our roads is due to the massively reduced funding of county Councils by the Tories since 2014. Many Councils are bankrupt or nearly so and so we are going to pay more council tax next year. The Tories have put some financial band aid on the Councils but it's wholly inadequate. Just another example of the mess created by Cameron, May, Johnson and Truss which Sunak is failing to clean up.

We have a Labour government in Wales.

I think it's another ploy to get people out of their cars.

The problem is, hitting the mule with a stick doesn't work but a bag of carrots might.

We have the same problem here with road infrastructure - not only fading marked lanes, but potholes, uneven sections. All so dangerous now that people are driven even more erratically and distractedly.

No more commuting to work on the high speed expressways, thankfully I survived! Those days are over.

Now I’m driving like a little old lady… ohhh, wait… I am a…

4allweknow
^ A more normal one is nearside for straight on and left and outside for right.^
I thought that was the official rule. They only painted arrows indicating that on the 2-lane approach road near us because not enough people knew. The exits are single lane.
Those who think the arrows are wrong still go in the middle lane to go straight on and then wonder why they get beeped or cause accidents.

And don’t get me started on parking on a bend or opposite a T junction!

A lot of our local roads have shrunk since 2020.
The sides have been allowed to crumble away into the grass verges, making them narrower. They used to have white markings down the middle but those aren't there now either. I suspect it is part of a cunning plan to gradually downgrade them to single track lanes without anyone noticing!

The poor state of our roads is due to the massively reduced funding of county Councils by the Tories since 2014. Many Councils are bankrupt or nearly so and so we are going to pay more council tax next year. The Tories have put some financial band aid on the Councils but it's wholly inadequate. Just another example of the mess created by Cameron, May, Johnson and Truss which Sunak is failing to clean up.

As well as the current issue of potholes, it's the lane markings painted on the roads near junctions. How on earth are you supposed to know which lane if not the standard eg outside for going right, middle straight on and nearside for going left. Time and time again I come across outside for right and straight on, and nearside well, surprise, left. A more normal one is nearside for straight on and left and outside for right. All with arrows painted on the road, that are not visible if there are 3 cars in front of you. I love the countries that have overhead signs. Anyone know what Red X Mandatory means? Saw this along nearside of motorway I drove on tonight.

Deedeedum On French motorways you get neither cats eyes, white lines, illuminated signs or street lighting at junctions. The signing is absolutely appalling compared with UK motorways. which are actually very good - and as you say, in France we pay for this total lack of aaids to safe driving. the road surface may be better but that is all. Not that we use them there are very few fully serviced service stations either. Only 'Aires' picnic stops with loos and a garage shop, if you are lucky.

When we go over to France we stay in a hotel overnight if our onward journey is after dark, because most of our 70 mile journey is on unlit motorways and dual carriageways. We never need to do that in the UK because of the superior lighting, lining and illumination on British motorways, plus proper service stations at regular intervals.

It's like a slalom here trying to avoid the myriad of potholes, I'd be happy if just potholes were filled in!!!

It’s not just public road markings our local major hospital only has floor markings indicating one way traffic and direction to the exit, these are not only fading but completely useless when we get winter snow

I agree the road markings around a lot of our roads have worn off. I wonder how you would stand legally if in an accident & had inadvertently strayed into the wrong lane!!! The worn away stop lines at the junction at then end of our road are creating "an accident waiting to happen" scenario...we have reported it to Highways & local councillor but nothing has been done. Let me not even start on the potholes!!

I take your point, road markings especially when driving in an unfamiliar locality is difficult and stressful. But remember if you are driving on a french motorway you pay for the privilege which is why they are so good.

There was a report, in yesterday's paper, of an inquest into a fatal road accident where the road markings were worn and a road sign had been twisted 45°. The coroner's verdict was that none of the people involved was to blame. A lorry ploughed into the car that was crossing a junction, in the dark and wet, where they should have given way. The lorry driver couldn't have avoided the collision. The badly maintained road markings and signage were to blame.

Not 100% to blame but a contributing factor... www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/couple-expecting-baby-killed-in-crash-at-poorly-marked-cross-301638/

I was driving on a detour of the M20 late last night in wet and misty conditions through some 'country' lanes markings were very difficult to see or not at all.

Completely agree. A couple died near me because the markings on a main road and split level off shoot weren't maintained and zero lighting meant their car over turned because they didn't see the curve or road level change.
Itangers me so much.

I asked my BIL who is responsible for this at a local authority to use fluorescent paint then no need fir cats eyes which are also rarely replaced. He said its too expensive.
This government is bleeding every service dry.

In Denmark our road markings are kept reasonably well, but we do have a problem with the signs stating the names of streets and roads!

Many are so faded that you simply cannot verify the name of the street you are driving down or turning into.

The white lines can be painted in photo-luminescent paint .

I'm not sure who invented it and I have to go out now.

Perhaps someone might like to do some research 😁

I feel a challenge to Horrible Histories WW2 coming on here! We could make a term's work out of useless bits of information l!