Written evidence submitted by the Road Safety Markings Association (RSA0091)

1.                EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

With a membership comprising road marking contractors, material manufacturers and suppliers covering all areas of the United Kingdom, the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) is uniquely placed to provide evidence on the current condition of markings on the UK road network and how this impacts directly on road safety.

This submission shall demonstrate:

-                       A significant proportion of road markings in England are below standard and potentially unsafe.

-                       Appropriate road markings make users feel safer and reduce the risk of injury and death.

-                       Spending on road markings provides cost-effective improvements in road safety.

-                       The UK’s need for an enduring road trial capability.

2.                THE RSMA

This evidence is submitted by the Road Safety Markings Association, the trade association for the road marking industry. The RSMA is the largest specialist trade body in the Highways Sector. Established in 1976, the RSMA has played, and continues to play, a pivotal role in supporting, training, assessing and representing companies and other organisations involved in or with an interest in, the road marking industry. The RSMA is the internationally respected voice for the UK road marking industry and a key component of a safe and effective highways network.

The RSMA Vision: ‘Safer roads for all users’.

The RSMA Mission: ‘Delivering safer roads through effective maintenance, skills and technology’.

3.                THE POOR STANDARD OF ROAD MARKINGS IN ENGLAND

Road markings are a crucial contributor to driver safety and comfort, but what we are often seeing is that road markings are not being maintained; they are often neglected and left to fade – without adequate markings drivers and riders lose information vital to their safety and the safety of pedestrians.

The RSMA has previously undertaken its own research on the condition of road markings across England. ‘Lifelines 2016’ surveyed almost 4,000km of roads in England, of which almost half was Local Authority controlled. The research represents the largest and most comprehensive published survey of its kind.

Lifelines 2016 found that almost 1/3 of road markings on local-authority controlled roads needed replacing immediately, with a further 20% to be scheduled for replacement. Only 18% met the industry recommended safety standard of 150millicandela (mcd) or more.

4.                FEELING SAFE & BEING SAFER

Road markings that do not reach the minimum acceptable standard result in poor performing roads.

Road markings can and do save lives.

In its 2012 research ‘Rainvision’[1], the RSMA assessed the influence of the visibility of different road markings (non-reflective, standard reflective material and profiled-reflective material) in different conditions. Also taken into consideration was the age profile of participating drivers. The study involved driving on a controlled test track where dry, wet and wet & rainy conditions could be controlled and road- marking performance and driver profile could be measured. The research concluded that high-performing road markings were of significant benefit to all drivers, but most notably, older drivers; high performing road markings are essential to the safety of an increasingly aging and mobile population. These findings were corroborated in further research completed in tandem with the University of Newcastle in 2014, which looked into visual deterioration as a function of age. The results showed:

-                       4/10 drivers stated that they had reduced driving in the dark over the previous five years or               stopped altogether

              HOWEVER

-                       “better road markings and signs” was cited by 55% as an incentive to drive at night.

The addition or improvement of appropriate road markings can bring about significant reductions in death and serious injury on UK roads. The most common road markings likely to contribute towards a reduction in fatalities and injury are:

Delineation, such as chevron alignment, intersection warning, advance direction indication, painted edges and centre lines. These measures provide valuable information to drivers about the road and how it should be driven.

Central hatching and wide centrelines increase the separation between traffic travelling in opposite directions on undivided roads and reduce the risk of head-on crashes. In addition, central hatching can be used to narrow wide lanes and therefore encourage lower speeds. It can be used in both rural and urban areas. In urban areas, it provides some protection to pedestrians crossing the road, and can be coupled with pedestrian crossing facilities, such as refuge islands, to provide additional safety.

If the central hatching is wide enough, a turn lane can be incorporated. This provides an area for vehicles travelling in either direction to slow down and wait before turning across traffic into side roads, taking the road user out of the flow of traffic to allow a safe turn when the way ahead is clear.

Raised Rib (aka ‘rumble strips’) takes a number of different forms. In addition to providing visual delineation, rumble strips can also be heard and felt by road users.

Transverse application alerts road users to hazards ahead (such as bends, intersections or areas of pedestrian activity). They are most effective where drivers have been travelling at sustained high speed for long periods.

Longitudinal application delineates the edge of a road and is one of the most effective, high return road safety measures resulting in a clear reduction in run off road crashes.

Effective implementation of the type of road markings outlined above can reduce the risk of death and injury on UK roads. The table below (taken from the iRAP road safety toolkit) shows by how much – and at what cost:

5.                SUFFICIENT FUNDING DELIVERS COST EFFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY

The chasm in funding between the Highways England network and local roads is enormous. This is not to detract from the vital work that Highways England has undertaken, but local roads, where almost all journeys begin and end, and carry almost all cyclists and pedestrians, need to be better funded to ensure a safe, fit for purpose future. Local roads are the most valuable state-owned asset and they carry the majority of traffic.

The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) is a charity that undertakes research and analysis as part of its annual EuroRAP Risk Mapping and Performance Tracking work to show how risk varies across motorways and ‘A’ roads in Great Britain. RSF uses the internationally recognised International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) proactive survey approach to help Local Authorities understand how risk changes along a route and analyse the impact on fatal and serious crashes of a variety of road safety measures.

Britain’s most dangerous roads are rural single-carriageway ‘A’ roads. On these roads, the risk to users is 7 times greater than if travelling on a motorway and nearly 3 times greater than travelling on a dual carriageway ‘A’ road. Improving road markings on rural single-carriageway ‘A’ roads can reap significant

reward in terms of lives saved and the cost of long-term care for the injured, emergency services, traffic delays and damage to public infrastructure.

The RSF study quantifies the ‘return on investment’ of a variety of measures aimed at reducing death and serious injury on our roads. RSF analysis has demonstrated that the cost of rumble strips, double white lines and central hatching can be as little as £15,000 per fatal and serious injury crash avoided whereas, at the other end of the scale, major engineering works such as cycle lanes, sealed run-off lanes and roadside barriers are among the more expensive measures to improve road safety – costing over £500,000 per fatal and serious injury crash avoided. When viewed purely as a business case, better road markings can provide compelling societal benefits in lives saved and a reduced financial burden.

When strategically specified, professionally laid and maintained to an appropriate standard, road markings SAVE LIVES!

Road safety figures for the UK are generally very positive and fatalities represented the second-lowest per million inhabitants in the EU in 2016[2], however, although there was a decrease in fatalities of c. 1,000 in the period 2008-2018[3], figures plateaued during the period 2012-2018.

Regular maintenance of the road network correlates directly to improved road safety, but road safety in the UK has stalled; the 1,770[4] deaths on UK roads in the year ending June 2018 represents no discernible difference from the 2012 figures[5], and represent a 3% increase from 2017.

6.                A UK ROAD TRIAL CAPABILITY

Volume 1 of the of the Specification for Highway Works dictates that road marking products must be ‘tested in road trials to the Roll-over class P5 in accordance with the procedure stated in BS EN 1824…’.

The UK road marking and stud industry relies on road trials to certify their products before they are authorised for use on UK highways. Since the most recent UK road trial (c. 2008), the lack of a UK road trial site has required UK manufacturers seeking certification for new and developed products to achieve certification at locations in mainland Europe. Only when the UK has a dedicated road marking and stud trial site will more innovative and enhanced products become readily available for use on UK roads.

An enduring UK road trial capability shall ensure continued innovation in the industry, allowing new and improved products to be continually available. Such products often possess enhanced characteristics, which result in increased benefit for the road user and improved road safety.

7.                POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The RSMA recommends the following to assist in improving road safety on the UK network:

-                       Adequate funding of road markings by both Central and Local Government will ensure that road               safety on local and strategic networks is maintained and improved.

-                       Local Authority highways funding should be ring-fenced and not dispersed to other areas.

-                       To ensure professional installation and maintenance of road markings, all Local Authorities should               be mandated to employ only contractors accredited to the National Highways Sector Scheme #7.               (This approach is used by Highways England, and a number of Local Authorities have adopted this               best practice)

-                       Government, Parliament, the Department for Transport and Highways England should support               RSMA endeavours to secure an enduring road trial site in the UK.

8.                CONCLUSION

Professionally applied to nationally recognised and set standards, well-maintained road markings are a key component in delivering ‘safety outcomes’.

Improved or redesigned road markings can achieve an improvement in road safety comparable to expensive engineering and highway restructuring solutions.

Central hatching, road studs and audio-visual markings such as raised rib lines, rumble strips and turn lanes are highly effective methods of reducing risk at a fraction of the cost of major engineering projects.

ROAD MARKINGS SAVE LIVES!

April 2019