Country specific information Road surface marking

1 country specific information

1.1 americas

1.1.1 canada
1.1.2 united states


1.2 asia

1.2.1 hong kong
1.2.2 japan


1.3 europe

1.3.1 netherlands
1.3.2 norway
1.3.3 united kingdom


1.4 oceania

1.4.1 australia
1.4.2 new zealand

country specific information
the americas

most countries in north , south america have yellow lines separating traffic directions. however, chile uses white lines.

canada

generally speaking, canadian pavement marking standards consistent used throughout united states.

yellow lines used separate traffic moving in opposite directions, , white lines used separate traffic moving in same direction, , on shoulders of paved roads. on one-directional roads, yellow line appears on left shoulder, , white line on right shoulder. passing rules denoted dashed lines in united states. orange painted lines used when direction of road altered temporarily construction projects. however, colour scheme reversed before 1971, when white formerly used denote separation of opposing traffic, , yellow lines, when used, denote separation of paved road right-hand shoulder. canada adopted similar road marking standards conform adopted in usa between 1971 , 1978.

broken lines wider , closer regular broken lines called continuity lines. continuity lines on left side of lane denote lane end , motorists must merge left. continuity lines on right mean lane continue, traffic may merge ahead.

in areas, reflective markers (cat s eyes) recessed pavement used, approaching curves in road.

ontario has several pavement marking test areas located in various parts of province. perhaps well-known location eastbound lanes of highway 401 near belleville. other test sites located on westbound lanes on highway 417, east of ottawa, highway 60 west of renfrew, highway 28 east of bancroft, highway 400 north of honey harbour , on highway 37, south of tweed. pavement marking manufacturers around world supply variety of materials these sites have products evaluated , approved use on provincial highways.

united states

dead man s curve along marquette–negaunee road in marquette county, michigan, shown in 1917 hand-painted center line.

in united states, first documented use of painted center line in 1911 along trenton s river road in wayne county, michigan. according state of michigan, idea of using painted center line conceived in 1911 edward n. hines, chairman of wayne county, michigan, board of roads, after watching leaky milk wagon leave white trail along road. hines fifth recipient of george s. bartlett award highway progress, , inducted posthumously in 1972 michigan transportation hall of honor innovation, , honored in 2011 first paul mijksenaar design function award.

in 1917, idea of using painted center lines on rural state highways conceived and/or put action in @ least 3 states (michigan, oregon, , california), apparently independent of 1 another. @ point in 1917, white highway center line painted along dead man s curve on county road 492 in marquette county, michigan, under direction of kenneth ingalls sawyer, served engineer-superintendent of marquette county road commission. sawyer inducted posthumously michigan transportation hall of honor in 1973.

in oregon in april 1917, yellow center line painted down center of columbia river highway, between crown point , multnomah falls, @ direction of multnomah county sheriff s deputy peter rexford. later in 1917, same line continued west of crown point. rexford first conceived idea of yellow center line in 1917 while riding on bus salem, oregon on dark , rainy night, , advocated safety measure on columbia river highway, rexford patrolled traffic officer. when multnomah county declined fund project, rexford s boss, chief deputy martin t. pratt (later elected sheriff), paid paint out of own pocket center line painted. rexford later described april 1917 line first yellow center line ever painted on pavement in united states. article published in oregonian upon rexford s retirement claimed contest $10,000 reward once held determine originator of highway center line, contest scrapped when information europe revealed ancient civilizations had used white bricks mark center lines of streets.

in fall of 1917, dr. june mccarroll of indio, california developed idea of white center lines , began advocating use, after run off road truck while driving along highway later incorporated u.s. route 99. dr. mccarroll communicated idea local chamber of commerce , riverside county board of supervisors, no success. took upon herself hand-paint white stripe down middle of road, establishing actual width of lane prevent similar accidents. in 2002, portion of interstate 10 designated , signed doctor june mccarroll memorial freeway in honor.

the question of color use highway center lines in united states enjoyed considerable debate , changing standards on period of several decades. november 1954, 47 states had adopted white standard color highway centerlines, oregon being last holdout use yellow. in 1958, u.s. bureau of public roads adopted white standard color new interstate highway system. 1971 edition of manual on uniform traffic control devices, however, mandated yellow standard color of center lines nationwide. changeover 1971 mutcd standards took place between 1971 , 1975, done end of 1973, 2 years drivers still had use old , new. yellow adopted because standard color of warning signs, , because easy teach drivers associate yellow lines dividing opposing traffic , white lines dividing traffic in same direction. in turn, simple mnemonic device reduced head-on collisions , improved road traffic safety.

the major downside mutcd white-yellow system yellow has less contrast white, @ night, maximum contrast, bright yellow—and highly toxic—lead chromate used paint yellow lines through end of 20th century. result, u.s. transportation workers must take special precautions when disturbing or removing yellow lane markings.

a typical stretch of valencia boulevard in valencia, california, lanes marked botts dots.

in u.s., type, placement, , graphic standards of traffic signs, , road surfaces legally regulated—the federal highway administration s manual on uniform traffic control devices standard, although each state produces own manual based upon federal manual.

generally white lane markings indicate separation between lanes traveling in same direction while yellow markings indicate opposing traffic on other side of line. in areas, such colorado , florida, black material applied on surface before shorter white line painted. improves contrast of marking against white pavements, such concrete or faded asphalt.

in california, botts dots commonly used mark lanes on freeways. large number of california cities use botts dots on (or all) major arterial roads. notable exception city of los angeles uses paint.

in california , nevada, reflectors when present lines, , no paint used additional markings. exceptions include: freeways built white concrete painted stripes added make lanes more visible through sun glare, freeways built wide risk of drifting minimal (e.g., interstate 5 in central valley), , freeways in areas snows in winter (since snowplows scrape off botts dots).

in general, single broken lines mean passing or lane changing allowed, single solid white lines mean lane changing discouraged not prohibited, , double solid white lines mean prohibited, in tunnels. on two-lane roads, single broken center line means passing allowed in either direction, double solid center line means passing prohibited in both directions, , combination of solid line broken line means passing allowed side broken line , prohibited side solid line. solid white line on right side called fog line used cars stay in lane during foggy conditions , pedestrians stay off road

marked crosswalks indicated @ minimum pair of white lines. on major boulevards, crosswalks further highlighted zebra stripes, large white rectangles in crosswalk perpendicular traffic. in order maximize longevity of zebra crossing stripes, applied correspond portions of lane on wheels of car not traveling, thereby reducing wear on markings themselves.

pavement markings used in addition signs in united states designate regular , handicap parking spaces. regular parking spaces marked white, although other colors used. handicap parking spaces required located within specified distance of entrance. blue markings used indicate parking space reserved persons disabled parking permit.

asia
hong kong

road markings in hong kong identical united kingdom, longer dashed white lines indicate lanes of opposing traffic, , shorter dashed white lines lanes in same direction. solid double white lines used indicate drivers not permitted change lanes. solid white line broken white line indicates crossing line allowed lane closer broken line. double solid white lines in place in tunnels , underpasses.

as in uk, solid yellow lines painted along kerbside indicate no parking allowed, double solid yellow lines meaning no parking allowed @ time. zig-zag lines used on both ends of zebra crossings. road studs used in uk.

japan

in japan, white separates traffic in same direction or indicates traffic in same direction can use buffered area striped in crosshatch patterns such @ right turns on two-way roads since japan country has left-side driving.

white used on divided expressways solid raised center divider. two-lane expressways poles physical barrier between opposing directions of travel have yellow either side of row of poles, , white between yellow striping , poles.

white used denote passing allowed on other two-lane roads. yellow indicates no passing allowed. on roads, yellow stripes solid.

on expressways there many sharp turns , curves, seen in largest cities, yellow line indicates no passing between lanes, follows:

solid yellow beside solid white: no entry permitted lane stripe next to, passing permitted caution.
solid yellow beside broken white: passing permitted side broken white line, not side yellow line.
solid yellow line alone: passing prohibited either lane, used on tight curves , in tunnels.

other markings include in cities, destination , exit names painted in lanes, done due close proximity of exits, in many cases impractical put many overhead signs, although these seen approaching exits, curved or slanted arrow points side of expressway exit on. straight arrow following characters indicates destination of expressway.

where solid white line appears between lanes, passing allowed caution.

europe

even within european union every country has own standards. here same road section german-style (at top) , french-style (below) road markings

in general european countries follow vienna convention on road signs , signals, describes road signs , road markings shall like. convention has flexibility road markings vary between countries.

most european countries reserve white routine lane markings of kind. yellow used mark forbidden parking, such on bus stops. however, example norway has yellow markings separating traffic directions. many countries use yellow, orange, or red indicate when lanes being shifted temporarily make room construction projects.

in netherlands, germany, sweden, , uk, so-called naked roads have been trialed, whereby visible road markings, kerbs, traffic lights, , signs removed, on urban roads. when tested in seend, village in uk county of wiltshire in 2005, county council reported accidents fell third, motorists speed falling average of 5%. has been suggested naked roads force drivers make eye contact other road users, , nonverbal communication responsible reduction of accidents. other have suggested road markings, middle marker, make road main road, triggering faster , more relaxed driving, while no marking makes road lower quality road.

it experience introduction of marking, @ least on narrow roads , in curves, middle lines make drivers stay on side when meeting, , therefore reducing meeting accidents. note 2005 experiment on urban roads. in sweden, local streets have no marking.

netherlands

in netherlands general lines white, while yellow lines used mark forbidden stopping (interrupted yellow), forbidden parking (uninterrupted yellow) , temporarily lining @ construction projects.

shoulder lines interrupted outside built-up area make driver aware presence of crossing bicycles , pedestrians, driveways , stopping cars. wider roads have single, in cases have double centre line. interrupted center lines mean overtaking allowed, solid line means overtaking not allowed, depending on side of double line solid. smaller roads , roads bycicles allowed don t have center lines, , many country roads have no lines @ all. there center line in sharp curves.

shoulder lines on expressways , motorways solid imply general absence of crossing traffic , residential driveways, disallowance of leaving road on places other specified exits. expressways have double centre lines. exit , acceleration lanes separated block marking .

furthermore several traffic signs painted on road, such speed limits , warning sings.

norway

in norway, yellow lines used separate traffic moving in opposite directions , on left shoulders of paved roads, , white lines used separate traffic moving in same direction, , on right shoulders of paved roads. on roads narrower 6 metres (20 ft), centerline removed, , shoulder lines broken. short, broken lines means passing allowed, long, broken lines means passing allowed dangerous, , double yellow line means passing forbidden. roads speed limits below 60 km/h indicate passing allowed dangerous, has short yellow line instead of long one. on motorways, left shoulder yellow line, in us. other european countries use white lines these types of lines.

united kingdom

a box junction in london, pictured atop monument in 1969

in england, idea of painting center white line first experimented in 1921 in sutton coldfield, birmingham. following complaints residents on reckless driving , several collisions, sutton coldfield corporation decided paint line on maney corner in area of maney.

in 1971, correspondent sutton coldfield news wrote article in newspaper recalling event.

the line put down experiment there lot of accidents there, in days of motor car. experiment proved successful whole country adopted standard road safety device, , later foreign countries paint lines on roads, well.

during world war ii pedestrians association lobbied government make safer pedestrians walk during black out. result, white lines painted on sides of road , pedestrians allowed use small torch.

in uk, first white line road markings appeared on number of dangerous bends on london-folkestone road @ ashford, kent, in 1914, , during 1920s rise of painted lines on uk roads grew dramatically. in 1926 official guidelines issued ministry of transport defined , how white lines on roads should used. broken white line in direction of travel, gaps longer painted lines, indicates centre of road , there no hazards specific design , layout of road, i.e. no turnings, sharp bends ahead etc. broken white line in gaps shorter painted lines indicates upcoming hazard, proportion of white black indicates degree of hazard i.e. more white means more hazard.

the minstry of transport experimented double-line road markings first time on sections of a20 , a3 during easter in 1957. markings cautionary, , had no legal status @ time, motorists advised ignoring them weigh heavily against involved in accident in vicinity. further, in order, if safe so, cross lines when broken 1 on side. not in order cross when solid line on side or park there. despite instruction parking, observed 9 bus stops located inside prohibited parking areas.

a double solid white line indicates line may not crossed, overtaking permitted if can performed safely without crossing line. solid lines can crossed in specific conditions (entering premises, overtaking stationary vehicle, overtaking vehicle, pedal cycle or horse travelling @ less 10 mph, or when directed police officer). solid white line broken white line parallel indicates crossing line allowed traffic in 1 direction (the side closest broken line) , not other.

solid white lines used mark outer edges of road.

a double yellow line (commonly known double yellow ) next kerb means no parking allowed @ time, whilst single yellow line used in conjunction signs denote parking restricted @ times. double , single red lines mean stopping not allowed @ time or between times respectively.

on many roads in uk, retro-reflective road studs, including known cat s eyes when referring halifax type road stud, placed in road. these devices reflect light car s headlights towards driver in order highlight features of road in poor visibility or @ night. colour of road studs differs according location. defining division between lanes white, red road studs placed along hard shoulder of motorways, dual carriageways , other roads mark left-hand edge of running lane; , orange road studs placed along edge of central reservation. green road studs denote slip roads @ grade-separated junctions , road-side lay-bys.

comprehensive information highway markings in uk can found in highway code , on gov.uk website.

oceania

in areas high levels of snow, such snowy mountains nsw, (where picture taken), yellow lines used contrast white snow. markers on side of road taller other markers in nsw , pink, in order increase visibility in snowy weather


australia

in australia, white lines used both separate traffic flowing in same direction , traffic flowing in opposite directions. double solid white center-lines may not crossed under circumstances, unless avoiding obstruction. dashed lines may crossed overtaking, changing lanes or turning, , in case of double-line markings provided dashed line on side of markings. reason dashed lines used mark multiple lanes traveling in 1 direction. yellow lines along road edges used nationally indicate no standing areas not otherwise marked signs. solid white lines used indicate kerbside parking, pedestrian , bicycle lanes, , other kerbside features. yellow line markings used in areas receive regular annual snowfall provide contrast. double-line markings used separate traffic flowing in opposite directions on busy roads.

the bridge on thredbo river. 1 of points in white lines become yellow amount of snowfall increases

solid white lines used mark intersection driver must stop @ before entering whilst obeying right of way laws. dashed white lines used mark intersection @ driver must give way. dashed white lines commonly used indicate turns in intersections , indicate intersections diamond turn possible (intersections in 2 cars traveling in opposite directions turn same direction-of-travel each other without coming contact).

materials used waterborne paint, thermoplastics, , cold applied plastic (pmma), glass bead. bead 1mm longitudinal marking. moving performance specified contracts primary performance indicator being retro-reflectivity measured 30 metre geometry instruments. intervention levels vary 100 - 150 mcd/lux/m2.

new zealand

although new zealand follows convention of solid yellow line indicate no passing on roads two-way traffic, uses long dashed white lines indicate when passing against opposing traffic allowed on two-lane roads , shorter ones separate lanes going in same direction. new zealand convention followed usa mutcd convention common between 1961 , seventies.