Light It Up: Exploring Road Markings for Dark and Desolate Roads
In remote stretches of the outback, the darkness of night acts like a cloak covering everything around it. These dark areas are nothing like the light-polluted roads of most cities, and as a result, it can be challenging to figure out how to mark these roads in a way that's visible for night time drivers.
If you're in charge of line marking for the roads in your remote area, here are ideas to consider for the long, dark nights:
1. Try cat's eyes or other reflective markings.
Cat's eyes are small studs that you place into the road along the center markings. They reflect the light from an approaching car's headlights, and they make it easy to see the road markings even in dark or rainy conditions.
2. Use a bit of sunlight.
In lieu of reflecting light from headlamps, consider harnessing a bit of Australia's amazing sunshine. There are solar powered road markings that are perfect for most sunny and remote areas. Like cat's eye's, these are 3D studs that are planted into the road. During the day, these lights charge in the sunlight, and at night, they glow. They are similar to solar powered landscaping lights but much smaller.
3. Consider motion-activated street lamps.
Most rural roads are dark because it simply doesn't make sense to burn street lamps on these lonely and desolate roads. However, there are ways to benefit from street lamps without wasting a lot of energy -- simply install motion-activated street lamps.
When a car drives by, these turn on and help to illuminate the road markings. When the car has passed, they can turn off and save power. To make these lamps the most effective, use them with road markings painted in light colours. White or yellow show up the best under most lights.
4. Watch for new developments in the world of road markings.
Finding ways to light up dark roads is a constant challenge in the world of road markings, and innovators are always coming up with new ways to light up roads. For example, one team of Dutch designers created a special paint designed to absorb UV light during the day and glow at night.
Unfortunately, it's not available to the public yet, but if you are interested in finding the best and safest solution for your roads, it's important to keep up with new developments in the arena of glowing road markings.
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