Road markings have been a feature on British roads since 1921, when they were added to highlight a hazardous corner in Birmingham. Now councils are looking to trial removing road markings to make roads safer. Funny how progress works.
By removing road markings, drivers are said to lose their false sense of security that no other cars will enter 'their' lane; this makes them uncertain and causes them to slow down. Trials are already underway on three stretches of road across London (the A22, A23 and the A100) as well as in Norfolk. TfL reports reveal the lack of road markings reduces speed by up to 13 per cent.
The idea of decluttering roads isn't something new. Dutch engineer Hans Monderman coined the idea in the 1970s and has been removing traffic lights, road markings and even pavements from towns ever since.
It could of course spell disaster for any kind of autonomous vehicles. Cars fitted with Lane Keeping Assist systems use road markings to assist drivers if they veer out of their lane. Without them, the systems will become null and void.
According to the BBC, AA president Edmund King OBE stated that it could work on smaller, quieter roads but warned that geographical differences could be confusing the roads users. Interestingly, TfL states that "removing centre lines on an existing surface was not considered due to the scarring and damage to the surface caused by removal", meaning only roads that need resurfacing may not be painted.
Take Kent council as an example; over the past three years, the council has resurfaced 550 miles, just 11 per cent of its road network. It would mean a fair few years till British roads are laid bare then! Expect this story to run for a while, we'll keep you updated with the latest.
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