Done about 1200 miles in 3 days this week in transporter and trailer, mostly in pouring rain and spray, many hours in the dark (even midday seems dark at mo) and have been struck by the appalling quality of our road markings - most "white lines" are worn out and virtually invisible - in many places (esp large roundabouts) it's positively dangerous. Not so bad maybe for those familiar with particular routes and the lane to take but for those of us on "new to us" routes it can be very confusing. Catseyes also seem to be sadly lacking or hammered into the surface.
Can't identify any region worse (or better) than other (from Preston and Settle oop North to Portsmouth and Swindon darn sarf) but surely it can't be that difficult to keep markings up to scratch??
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Its getting worse for sure, tho having driven in Sicily this year in the dark, the UK is a blessed relief.
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The roads you've been on will be maintained by either the local authority or central government via the Highways Agency.
In difficult financial times, I've noticed such bodies cut services which are most noticeable to the general public, as much as to say: "Look at what the evil budget cuts are doing."
These bodies don't, it seems to me, show the same enthusiasm for cutting spending which is less visible to the general public such as conferences, consultants' reports, town twinning meetings and the like.
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"Look at what the evil budget cuts are doing."
Totally agree
Norwich council claim they need to save £600,000
They proposed
Closing public lavatories
Reducing road cleaning to once a month
Increasing cost of allotments
Cutting the amount of Christmas lights
They spent (wasted) £900,000 on consultants last year.
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>> They spent (wasted) £900,000 on consultants last year.
hardly wasted, it was they who suggested the £600,000 of cuts. So that's a saving of, err, yes, well good value for money anyway.
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It doesn't have to be an unfamiliar route. This is a regular one for me, but driving westwards at night can be terrifying as a sudden eyeful of oncoming lights can completely remove your view, and what remains of the white lines and catseyes is no help at all. This is an A road, and an NSL section of it.
tinyurl.com/A4130Wmarkings (Google Maps link - zoom out to see how the road wiggles either end of this one straight.)
And no, to my shame I've not yet written to the Royal Borough to ask them to fix it before someone gets killed. Across the border in South Oxfordshire they'd probably just slap a 30 limit on it.
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>> It doesn't have to be an unfamiliar route
Very true. I drove north out of Coventry city centre this afternoon past the Ricoh Arena in a downpour - each carriageway is three lanes wide with the usual Midlands quirky lane routing around the roundabouts - it was something of a free-for-all as the white lines were virtually invisible throughout.
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I blame winter tyres. All that extra grip wears away the road paint quicker.
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We have this one just near home. I use it a lot but now I take the long way round at night.
tinyurl.com/7hwbkfz
Street lights up in the tree canopy, massive puddles by the kerb, even if it hasn't rained for a few days. In the evening rush hour it's a rat-run with dozens of high glare headlamps coming at you on cars cutting through to the A5103.
Add to that the poor road markings and the guy who parks his white high top Transit just a little further up on the bend, half on and half off the nearside footpath, It doesn't ever seem to get a wash so, being grey with filthy reflectors, it doesn't exactly stand out unless you know it's there and anticipate it !
It's a city road even though it looks rural !
Ted
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What could you be complaining about Ted? Luxury! Not a mimser or indeed other vehicle in sight for miles!
We southern poofs have it much harder. And no consolation except the decent beer down here of course.
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>> Street lights up in the tree canopy
Street lights? you townies need to get out more.
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>> It doesn't have to be an unfamiliar route. This is a regular one for me,
Thought that road looked familiar, used to use that to travel to Stratford and Birmingham before the M25/M40 was completed.
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I don't know, all these people saying they can't see the road because of poor markings. Whatever happened to driving within your visibility? In other words slowing down to suit conditions.
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"Whatever happened to driving within your visibility? In other words slowing down to suit conditions."
Who said we weren't doing just that?
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>> Thought that road looked familiar, used to use that to travel to Stratford and Birmingham
>> before the M25/M40 was completed.
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Me too, Milton (Abingdon) to Wapping in the early evenings couple of times a week, don't think Henley residents thought too much of it..;)
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I like the half size telegraph pole type things you get on a lot of Highland roads. They shove a bit of paint on the top foot or so. Idea is that when the road is covered in snow you can still tell where it is by keeping your vehicle between the poles. Works very well and given the huge ditches which are usually beyond them its quite an incentive to work within their guidance. More than possible ( even in a RWD shock horror :) to make good and sometimes fastish progress even on quite deep snow if it's cold enough to freeze and hold firm under the car.
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I think the problem is the new smooth/quiet roads, as even newly laid roads with new lines are like a mirror when wet. With the old metal chip roads, one could see the contrast in texture between the road surface and lines.
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Road markings? - Zero
