Illuminating parameters variation of horizontal road markings in the operation process

Abstract

One of the most important consumer properties of a highway is traffic safety. In order to organize traffic flows and ensure safety on highways, technical means of traffic organization are used, which include horizontal road markings. The presence of easy-to-read marking schemes, especially on roads without artificial lighting, as well as in low visibility conditions, contributes to ensuring the cars safety traffic and pedestrians in accordance with the road traffic regulations. This work devoted to the dependence study of changes in the lighting parameters of horizontal road markings on technological, operational and other factors. Emphasis in the work is made on the analysis of changes in the light transmission coefficient, as this parameter is a markings visibility indicator in darkness hours. As in the darkness hours period most of the road accidents occur, which have the most severe consequences. The article analyzes foreign studies concerning the reasons for the lighting markings parameters reduction and the statistical dependencies establishment describing this process. The authors have carried out experimental studies of the road markings degradation process on public roads of II and III categories in the Moscow Region. Based on the experimental results, the influence of technological and operational factors on the road markings lighting characteristics deterioration is evaluated. The analysis was performed for different road marking lines applied by thermoplastic and cold plastic. According to the study results recommendations are given to ensure the required values of such lighting characteristics as retroreflection coefficient when applying horizontal road markings.