Poor marks for UK’s white lines

The UK’s road markings are said to be vanishing rapidly, according to a new survey by a leading highways organisation. A snapshot survey of nearly 500 miles by the Road Safety Markings Association (RMSA) revealed that well over half of white lines in Scotland and Wales are almost non-existent, and England’s fare little better. On average, the RSMA survey found that 50.6% of the UK’s surveyed road markings are barely visible. And almost a quarter (23%) of roads are classified as needing ‘emergency repairs’.
June 19, 2012 Read time: 1 min
UK's vanishing white lines present road safety problem. Picture: Bauke Karel.
The UK’s road markings are said to be vanishing rapidly, according to a new survey by a leading highways organisation.

A snapshot survey of nearly 500 miles by the 5149 Road Safety Markings Association (RMSA) revealed that well over half of white lines in Scotland and Wales are almost non-existent, and England’s fare little better. On average, the RSMA survey found that 50.6% of the UK’s surveyed road markings are barely visible. And almost a quarter (23%) of roads are classified as needing ‘emergency repairs’. Less than 7% of road markings scored the highest rating.

The RSMA carried out the latest spot-check across a range of motorways and major A roads managed by the 2309 Highways Agency, and lesser A and B roads managed by local authorities.
Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Poor marks for UK's white lines
    April 23, 2012
    The UK’s road markings are said to be vanishing rapidly, according to a new survey by a leading highways organisation. A snapshot survey of nearly 500 miles by the Road Safety Markings Association (RMSA) revealed that well over half of white lines in Scotland and Wales are almost non-existent, and England’s fare little better. On average, the RSMA survey found that 50.6% of the UK’s surveyed road markings are barely visible. And almost a quarter (23%) of roads are classified as needing ‘emergency repa
    Read More
  • Action call for ''Britain's worn-our road markings''
    March 2, 2012
    Nearly a third of the length of Britain's single carriageway A roads have white lines so worn out that they do not meet recognised standards, according to the LifeLines Report, an assessment of more than 2,400km miles of the network.
    Read More
  • Improving the UK’s road markings efficiently
    June 30, 2014
    According to a recently published report, based on the findings of the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA), the condition of road markings on the UK’s roads is so poor they require immediate remedial action. This comprehensive survey covered 7,000km of the roads in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It revealed that 47% of markings on all roads (and as much as 52% on motorways) in England are in need of immediate replacement or should be scheduled for replacement in order to ensure they meet
    Read More
  • Set the ALARM for repairs in England and Wales
    January 10, 2019
    More than 3,900km of roads in England and Wales will need essential maintenance within the next year, according to the annual ALARM survey* Cash-strapped local governments are reporting that the gap between the funds they received and the amount they needed for repairs and maintenance was almost €639 million. This equated to an average shortfall of €3.75 million for every authority. It would take 14 years to get local roads back into a reasonable steady state, but only if adequate funds and resources wer
    Read More

Highlighted Content