Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

Road markings as a simple yet extremely effective method of guiding motorists safely on the world's road. Patrick Smith reports. Road markings are as important as road signs and give information about the roads being travelled on and actions that drivers should or should not be taking. For example, in many instances white lines often tell motorists something about the road: longitudinal lines can warn of situations that require action such as turn right, left or do not cross. Transverse lines often mean giv

Work-related road safety is an emerging source of concern throughout Europe, which needs renewed commitment from all those involved. It is estimated that in the EU-15, 39% of fatal work accidents are road traffic accidents, and this number would even be considerably higher should accidents while commuting to and from work be included.

Estonia and Ireland's 2010 Road Safety PIN Awards followed wide-ranging efforts to reduce road deaths. In Estonia, road mortality has been halved from 146 deaths per million inhabitants in 2001 to 75 in 2009 (although still above the EU27 average of 70).

A new safety barrier can protect pedestrians and property from out of control vehicles. Called Curb-I, the system is a triple bollard barrier assembly that can be quickly and easily installed on pedestrian walkways and in front of commercial areas to provide protection.

The 5700C-Max unit from Power Curbers has now been used on a tricky shoulder widening job in New South Wales, Australia. The machine carried out the job close to Robertson in the Southern Highlands, about 1.5 hours drive to the south of Sydney. The job required the construction of a 200m long section of barrier, built to the requirements of the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA). The contractor hand-formed the concrete shoulder as it was about 3m wide at the start and narrowed down to 1m at the end.

Safety barriers provide an invaluable service for all road users, Mike Woof reports The safety barrier market is a key one for the highway sector, with systems providing valuable protection for all categories of road users. The importance of passive protective devices such as safety barriers can often be overlooked by the road user but is well-understood by highway designers. Redirecting an errant vehicle back into the roadway and preventing it from crossing into traffic flowing in the other direction or fr

Christophe Nicodème, ERF's Director General, explores a missing link in the road safety chain

Highway Care is now offering double-sided P4 terminal that is specially developed for the UK road network. The Xtension 110 Double-sided P4 Terminal is said to be the only approved double-sided P4 terminal available for use in the UK market.

Retroreflectivity plays a vital role when it comes to helping drivers follow road markings clearly in the dark as Patrick Smith reports. In many instances road markings are as important as road signs, offering information about the roads being travelled and the actions drivers should or should not be taking. Toady there is a wide variety of materials available for such markings and these include paints, cold applied plastics, thermoplastic, self-adhesive tapes, modified epoxy resins and raised pavement mark

There are key differences in crash cushion design and quality for the United States and European markets. Developments in barrier technologies have followed the varying demands of specific markets, resulting in manufacturers offering different solutions for US and European needs.