Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

UNIT 10

TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AND ROAD FURNITURE ( Part 2 )

OBJECTIVES
General Objective To understand the general information of road delineator and road stud Specific Objectives At the end of the unit you should be able to : state the types of delineator. identify the materials is used for marking. describe the purpose of road stud.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

INPUT TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES DELINEATOR & ROAD STUD

10.0 INTRODUCTION

Carriageway delineators (including markings) have definite and important functions to perform in a proper scheme of traffic management. In many instances they are used to supplement the regulations or warnings of traffic , signs or signals. In other situations, they are used to obtain results, entirely on their own merits, that cannot be obtained with other devices.

Carriageway delineators have, however, several definite limitations to their effectiveness. They may be obliterated by snow or dirt, obscured when the volume of traffic is heavy, and some are not readily visible when the carriageway is wet. Markings are not very durable when subject to heavy traffic wear and must be replaced at frequent intervals; in addition, they cannot be utilized at all on unsurfaced carriageways. The following discussion will concentrate on the longitudinal delineators which feed information continuously to the driver. Details of the regulatory nature of delineators (e.g. as used at stop signs, to indicate parking/non parking at kerbs, etc.) or of the sizes and spacing of particular markings, lettering, etc., as used in any given country will not be discussed. For these the reader is referred to the appropriate manuals

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

10.1

REASONS FOR LONGITUDINAL DELINEATION Generally it can be said that the various forms of longitudinal delineation have

three main functions: 1. To characterize the road. 2. To provide route guidance. 3. To act as a tracking reference. By characterization is meant the situation where particular forms of delineation are used to provide the driver with information about the nature of the road which leads him to expectations regarding the ease of the driving task. For example, if the centre-line on a carriageway is marked in yellow, then it could indicate to the driver that he is on a two-way carriageway, whereas a white centreline (or lane-line) would indicate a one-way carriageway. The term route guidance is used to define the situation where carriageway delineation might be used to direct the motorist into one of, say, two alternative routes. Consider, for example, a simple Y-junction at which all three legs appear to be of the same route hierarchy so that the motorist entering 11u, junction along its stem is unable to discern which of the two remaining legs is the major route, and which is the minor. If, however, a particular form ( o r color) of marking is used on the stem and continued through the appropriate (left or right) leg, them it would be clear to the driver which mar should be followed. In relation to the tracking reference function it should be remembered that a motorist has two basic types of motion continually under his control to ensure that his path remains with the road at night or day; these are speed and direction. While at first one might think that a driver judges his speed by looking at his

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

vehicle's speedometer, the fact is that in practice his prefers to use subjective judgement by noting the rate at which he passes objects by the side of the roadand at night, particularly on rural roads, these reference objects are not visible. Of greater real importance is directional control since in driving the task is not exactly that following a line, but rather of remaining at a constant lateral displacement from it, the line being either the kerb or white guide line.' It has been shown by experiment that the centre and edge of the carriageway are two of the principal locations used by drivers in directional guidance, and hence strong emphasis at these locations, especially at night, can greatly simplify the driving task. Furthermore, the higher the vehicle speed, the more useful is this longitudinal contrast I delineation. Also at night, the uncertainty caused by the glare of oncoming vehicles can be heightened by a lack of delineation. For example, a driver meeting an oncoming vehicle is inclined to look at the carriageway edge so as to avoid looking directly at the headlights. If, however, the road edge is indistinct, the driver must glance back periodically at the centre-line to check his lateral position but in so doing, his eyes become more 'light-adapted' so that when he looks back again, the carriageway edge appears even more indistinct so he must look again at the centre-line to regain his lateral bearings. The situation can, in fact, develop to the stage (in heavy traffic flow) where the driver cannot discern the centre-line because of the glare, and has to orient himself by looking directly at the oncoming vehicles' headlights which explains why the deliberate delineation of the edge of the carriageway which help this situation. 10.2 TYPES OF DELINEATOR Basically there are two types of delineators used on the carriage way: marking and road studs.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

10.2.1

Marking materials. The two most widely used materials are conventional paints and hot-applied thermoplastics (including spray-plastics). Between 80-90 per cent of the road-lines laid in Malaysia are thermoplastic, whereas on Continent the reverse is generally true.

Although more expensive than paint, thermoplastic has the advantages that; 1. 2. with dirt. 3. damp. 4. 5. 6. immediate diffusion. 7. It sets almost immediately after being laid. The disadvantages of thermoplastic are; 1. 2. It has a greater initial cost as compared with paint. Rapid application on a large scale is more difficult because of the large bulk It is proud of the road surface, and this assists visibility on It contains 60 per cent sand and a binder which ensures The material has a rough surface when laid which aids a wet night by facilitating drainage of the water film. good skid resistance as it erodes. A high temperature of application which enable it to fuse with a bituminous road surface, sometimes even when the road is cold or slightly It has a longer life. The ability to fill the interstices of rough textured roads,

whereas paint soon wears from the surface-dressing peaks and the interstice fill

of material which has to be melted down.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

3.

Care is needed to avoid an undue build-up of thickness by successive Adhesion is usually poor on concrete road surfaces. On dirty roads carrying light traffic, thermoplastic discolors more readily

application, as this can be hazardous to motorcyclists. 4.

5.

than paint which is relatively smooth and glossy.

10.2.1.1 Reflectorization.

The reflectorization of a paint or thermoplastic road marking is achieved by the addition of tiny glass spheres (`ballotini') which are premixed and dispensed (`dusted') on to the surface of the line material as it is being laid. Premixing, very often followed by dusting, is the usual practice with thermoplastic; dusting is the more common practice with pain although reflectivity only exists as long as the beads remain in place on the surface. An advantage of premixing is that as the binding material becomes worn by traffic, further beads are exposed to reflect the light from the vehicles headlights back to the driver.

While the excellent reflectivity properties of lines containing ballotini are well recognized in dry weather, there is some doubt about their absolute effectiveness in geographical areas subject to regular rain and fog. Experiment have shown that the reflectivity of the lines decreases as rain falls, the water film tending to reflect the light from the headlights away from driver. When the rain is heavy enough to completely submerge the beads, as easily happens with paint, the line can become practically invisible.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

10.3 ROAD STUDS.

The `ideal' answer to the wet reflection problem is without doubt to supplement the reflectorized road lines with reflectorized road studs. Road studs used on their own are of relatively little value to the driver under normal daytime conditions, unless they have coloured shell and are spaced very close together.

The reflective road stud most commonly used in Britain is the cats eye. Each cat's-eye consists of two parts: a metal base embedded in the road, and a separate rubber pad insert into each side of which (for two-way roads), or in one side (for one-way carriageways), two longitudinal biconvex reflectors are fixed. As vehicle tyres pass over the rubber pad, its centre part is depressed so that the faces of the reflectors arc automatically wiped by the front part of the pad, thus giving the stud its well-known sell-cleaning property. The length of time before the insert rubber pad must be replaced depends very much on the speed and density of tile traffic, as well as on the lateral location of the road stud on the carriageway; however, measurements have shown that the reflectivity of a cat's-eye on a centre-line of a high-speed road can fall to 50 per cent of its original value after twelve month. Another type of road stud which is now rapidly coming into favour is the corner-cube type of reflector. The reason for this name is that the individual reflectors in each face of the stud consist of three sides of a cube, and the headlight ray is reflected from all three sides before returning the eye of the motorist. When both are new, objective measurement have shown that a corner-cube road stud can return as much as 20 times more light than a cats eye at a distance of a 100mn or more; however viewed more obliquely, e.g. at distance of 30m or less, its superiority is not as great.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

Even though abrasion from tyres soon causes the face of a corner-cube reflector to become etched with a network of fine scratches which cause diffusion of some of the light, yet at long distances it can be still considerably brighter than a cat's-eye after the same period of time. Figure 10.1 shows the delineation used on general motorways, including at junction. Note the different types of lines and studs used at the different location, each intended to convey a message to the motorist regarding that position.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

Fig. 10.1 Delineation practices on general motorways

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

ACTIVITY 10

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING BEFORE YOU CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT INPUT

Question
1. 2. 3. State three main functions of longitudinal delineation. State two types of delineator. Describe one type of the road studs.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

FEEDBACK ON ACTIVITY 10
Answer

1. Generally it can be said that the various forms of longitudinal delineation have three main functions: a. To characterize the road. b. To provide route guidance. c. To act as a tracking reference.

2.

Basically there are two types of delineators used on the carriage way:

marking and road studs. 3. Another type of road stud which is now rapidly coming into favor is the

corner-cube type of reflector.

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

Question

1.

Basically there are two types of delineators used on the carriage way:

marking and road studs. Explain in details on the markings material.

2.

What is the meaning of Reflectorization?

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

Answer
1. Marking materials. The two most widely used materials are conventional paints and hotapplied thermoplastics (including spray-plastics). Between 80-90 per cent of the road-lines laid in Malaysia are thermoplastic, whereas on Continent the reverse is generally true.

Although

more

expensive

than

paint,

thermoplastic

has

the

advantages that; 1. 2. with dirt. 3. damp. 4. 5. 6. immediate diffusion. 7. It sets almost immediately after being laid. It is proud of the road surface, and this assists visibility on It contains 60 per cent sand and a binder which ensures The material has a rough surface when laid which aids a wet night by facilitating drainage of the water film. good skid resistance as it erodes. A high temperature of application which enable it to fuse with a bituminous road surface, sometimes even when the road is cold or slightly It has a longer life. The ability to fill the interstices of rough textured roads,

whereas paint soon wears from the surface-dressing peaks and the interstice fill

Highway Engineering

Traffic Control Devices and Road Furniture

C3010 / UNIT 10

The disadvantages of thermoplastic are; 8. 9.

10.

It has a greater initial cost as compared with paint. Rapid application on a large scale is more difficult because of the large bulk Care is needed to avoid an undue build-up of thickness by successive

of material which has to be melted down. application, as this can be hazardous to motorcyclists. 11. Adhesion is usually poor on concrete road surfaces.
12.

On dirty roads carrying light traffic, thermoplastic discolors more readily

than paint which is relatively smooth and glossy.

2.

The reflectorization of a paint or thermoplastic road marking is achieved by the addition of tiny glass spheres (`ballotini') which are premixed and dispensed (`dusted') on to the surface of the line material as it is being laid. Premixing, very often followed by dusting, is the usual practice with thermoplastic; dusting is the more common practice with pain although reflectivity only exists as long as the beads remain in place on the surface. An advantage of premixing is that as the binding material becomes worn by traffic, further beads are exposed to reflect the light from the vehicles headlights back to the driver.

While the excellent reflectivity properties of lines containing ballotini are well recognized in dry weather, there is some doubt about their absolute effectiveness in geographical areas subject to regular rain and fog. Experiment have shown that the reflectivity of the lines decreases as rain falls, the water film tending to reflect the light from the headlights away from driver. When the rain is heavy enough to completely submerge the beads, as easily happens with paint, the line can become practically invisible.