Road marking - means of orientation on the road

Road marking, done in the right way, is designed to ensure the orientation of drivers on the road, organize traffic regimes and indicate the direction under all kinds of weather conditions. Thus, it actively participates in real road traffic (along with signs and traffic lights). This allows increasing the capacity of a particular road section.

Traditionally, two types of markup are distinguished:
1. Vertical road markings.
2. Horizontal road marking.

The first is applied to road elements and additional structures intended for road construction. Such marking is performed by alternating bands of black and white (with reflective properties). This gives the driver the opportunity to assess the dimensions of objects in the dark, for example, road sign rails, bridge supports, overpasses, entrances and exits from tunnels, as well as curb stones.

The second, in turn, is applied directly to the roadway. It fulfills a large number of important functions, such as the separation of traffic flows, the indication of the boundaries of the roadway, the designation of lanes, as well as parking spaces. Road markings of this type are strips, arrows, inscriptions and symbols, which are carried out with special reflective paints.

Marking must be carried out strictly in accordance with the current traffic rules and other regulatory documents, such as the "Road marking rules". In this case, the application of road marking and all related work should be carried out by appropriately trained personnel and on specialized equipment.

Road marking of the horizontal type can be of two types: permanent and temporary. Permanent markup is performed for stationary use and usually has a white color (individual elements can be executed in yellow). Temporary applied during repair work for short-term changes in the traffic scheme. Such marking is done with orange paint. A distinctive feature of it is also the fact that the materials with which it is made are easily dismantled.

At present, road marking is made of a variety of materials: reflective paints, enamels, thermoplastic and cold plastic, polymer tapes and piece forms. The retroreflectors are widely used. Nevertheless, all materials used must necessarily comply with the regulatory requirements of the relevant documentation, since the quality of the road marking will directly depend on the quality of the indicators.

Paints and enamels are the most common material of horizontal marking, the technology of application of which is quite simple and fast. Low cost of work, reasonable price of necessary equipment, short drying time, as well as the possibility of applying to absolutely any elements - that's not the whole list of advantages of using these materials.

Now you know what road markings are. And its characteristics are also not a secret!