Red strips on road

[TheGreatSoprendo]

I wonder if anyone can shed any light on the strips of red tarmac that have appeared on the road outside the school near me? There are about 3 of them in a 100 yard stretch, which cover the full width of the road and are about the same size as a zebra crossing. They are coloured red, a bit like the colour you see tennis courts painted. There are no other markings or road signs associated with them, just little red strips of tarmac!?

This road is very busy in the mornings, and the Mums treat these red strips as zebra crossings and get very annoyed when motorists don't. I've scoured the Highway Code, and there's no mention of anything remotely similar.

Surely if they're supposed to be zebra crossings, they would have just put a zebra crossing there?

[rich-uk]

I assume they're there to make you slow down and pay attention, but it'll probably backfire as people will be driving down the road wondering what the red lines are in the road and mow a child down

[gshughes]

There are just there to wake up numpty drivers and draw their attention to a hazard or change in speed limit. There are loads up here generally before the entry to a 30 mph limit at a village, or a tight corner.

[chrisjl]

Rumble strips to make you slow down for the benefit of you/your car?

High friction surface to make abrupt stops easier?

Or friction reducing, ABS-incompatible nuisance?

[s2ooz]

also probably slightly raised, so as to cause a rumble strip effect as you pass, an audible/physical warning - to wake you up..

[deltaf]

And render your ABS useless.

[wanty1974]

I've never been over a rumble strip like this and it rumble, in fact it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference to my driving so I can't see the point of them.

A local village does have a PROPER rumble strip, very rumbly, but these plain red boxes are a waste of (yet more) tax payers money, surely?

[james_j]

Just something else to irritate the driver and distract them from the task at hand, which should be maintaining awareness of hazards and travelling at a speed appropriate for that actual piece of road (which of course may vary throughout the usually daft blanket 30, 40 or 50 mph limit).

[boiler]

They were going to have 'Slow' or a 30 sign painted on them, but the council has run out of money, so you'll have to wait until for the next budget.

Andy.

[TheGreatSoprendo]

Pretty sure they're not some kind of traffic calming scheme. They're not raised, and they're not rumble strips. Haven't examined the surface in detail, but it seems to be the same as the rest of the road, just a different colour. I'm still none the wiser!

[Don]

TheGreatSoprendo said:

Pretty sure they're not some kind of traffic calming scheme. They're not raised, and they're not rumble strips. Haven't examined the surface in detail, but it seems to be the same as the rest of the road, just a different colour. I'm still none the wiser!

You'll find in a few weeks that white lines will be painted on top of the red areas to make the road "look" narrower. Then white circles will be painted on top of the red areas with a large "30" inside it.

This sort of road painting has been successfully used in our area to reduce speeds of vehicles through built up areas WITHOUT the need for blasted speed humps. They don't get in the way of Emergency Services and lorries and wide vehicles are unhindered as the "narrowing" is an illusion.

Of course - determined speeders learn about the markings and pelt through at any speed they like but it works on the mums near the school and I reckon isn't such a bad idea.

Let us know if that's what it is - or if something more sinister turns up.

[Don]

Oh and once painted up the mums won't mistake 'em for crossings.

Since crossings are obviously required I'm surprised they haven't put one in as well?

[meeja]

Don said:

Since crossings are obviously required I'm surprised they haven't put one in as well?

Couldn't possibly do that.... different budget you see...

Can only go to the expense of adding a crossing when the existing work is complete.

Only then will they be allowed to go in and dig it all up/repaint it all again.....

[zetec]

deltaf said:

And render your ABS useless.

Yup, experienced that problem!

[HarryW]

Have some of the rumble versions down my way, strange thing is that at less than 20mph the car rumbles etc above 30mph nothing , can't be right shirley.

H

[streaky]

Don said:

Oh and once painted up the mums won't mistake 'em for crossings. Since crossings are obviously required I'm surprised they haven't put one in as well?

I wouldn't be at all surprised by what numpty pedestrians (who might also be drivers) think road markings are all about.

Outside Farnham Railway Station in Surrey there is a speed bump. It has white triangles painted on it. It does not have pedestrian crossing lights of any kind.

Yet many pedestrians have stepped off the footway in front of my car and other cars as if the speed bump was a pedestrian crossing and they had the right of way. In such cases I usually give them an 'audible warning of approach" (air horns) and in reply they usually indicate that they have heard it with both ears!

But on one glorious occasion ...

As I approached, a man stepped off the footway on my off-side and a car coming in the opposite direction stopped to let them cross. I, however, continued at moderate speed over the speed bump, giving the pedestrian a melodious tootle on the horn as I did so. A few seconds later the car that had stopped appeared in my mirrors with flashing blue lights on the roof and an altogether different horn sound blaring. It was one of Surrey's marked 'Area Cars' (BTW - I had recognised it as such at the time). I stopped and waited. The 'observer' (a sergeant) arrived at my window demanding to know why I had failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing! I pointed out that it was not a pedestrian crossing but he insisted that it was. I requested to be shown the evidence for this and returned (in the police car, at my request) to the scene of the so-called 'incident'. The officer and I got out (to the interest of a small crowd and the delight of the person who had been crossing the road at the time). The 'observer' pointed out that the speed bump had white lines painted on it and therefore was a pedestrian crossing. I pointed out that the lines were triangles not white bars alternating with black tarmac in equal divisions (as for a pedestrian crossing) and were entirely in keeping with the indicative markings for a speed bump. The officer drew my attention to the fact that the 'crossing' joined one 'drop' in the footway on one side of the road with a corresponding 'drop' on the other. I pointed out that the drops existed before the speed bump was installed and neither contributed to nor changed the purpose of the speed bump. I also pointed out the absence of pedestrian crossing lights. I further pointed out that this was a private road (the property of Railtrack at the time, and gated at one end - which gate is closed by 'Railtrack' from time to time to maintain the private status of the road) and therefore any alleged crossing would have no standing under the Road Traffic Act 1980 and, even if it were a pedestrian crossing, Surrey Police would have no immediate jurisdiction over it in any 'incident' such as was alleged.

With that he looked a little puzzled and called 'Control' on his radio and (I presume) spoke to a (more) senior officer. After a while, he returned and 'apologised', explaining that he had been informed that I was correct. I asked whether he was going to speak to the pedestrian (who was still in the small crowd) in regard to his stepping off the footway without regard to his safety or that of other road users (ie. me). "No." replied the sergeant. I then asked whether they would be so kind as to give me a lift back to my car. "Fk off!" he replied, then added, "And don't worry, I've got your number, and I'll be watching out for you!". I traded the car in for my Jeep two days later (a planned sale)!

Streaky

[thegreatsoprendo]

Don said:

You'll find in a few weeks that white lines will be painted on top of the red areas to make the road "look" narrower. Then white circles will be painted on top of the red areas with a large "30" inside it.

Well that would make sense, but these red strips are not a new thing, they've been there for as long as I've lived there - over 3 years - and there's no sign of any paint yet!

Had another look today. There is a drop in the edge of the kerb at each end of each red strip which, of course, contributes to the impression that it's a pedestrian crossing. There are also four black posts on the edge of the kerbs, about 3 ft in height, one at each corner of the "strip"...