Road signs were painted once again in Barga this week. Now that should not really be that newsworthy except that for some people it would seem that these signs, lines and symbols that are painted on the roads in this area don’t seem to last all that long.
Now it could well be that the extremes of climatic conditions which occur in this area make painted road signs less able to withstand those huge jumps in temperatures and snow ploughs dragging over them during the winter must wear them down but as some commentators in Barga Giardino watching the workmen repainting the stop signs mentioned, we do not have a really huge amount of traffic in this area on our roads, so why do the signs have to be repainted almost every year?
Some questioned the quality of the paint, others remarked that it was not every year but every two years, still others remembered it being every three.
In fact the last time they were painted was in July of 2012 – just 18 months ago (article here)
Paint, sometimes with additives such as reflective glass beads, is generally used to mark travel lanes. It is also used to mark spaces in parking lots or special purpose spaces for handicap parking, loading zones, or time restricted parking areas. Paint is a low-cost marking and has been in widespread use since approximately the early 1950s.
Painted symbols, such as turn-lane arrows or lane markers, are applied manually using stencilsRoad surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information. They can also be applied in other facilities used by vehicles to mark parking spaces or designate areas for other uses.
Road surface markings are used on paved roadways to provide guidance and information to drivers and pedestrians. Uniformity of the markings is an important factor in minimizing confusion and uncertainty about their meaning, and efforts exist to standardise such markings across borders. However, countries and areas categorize and specify road surface markings in different ways.
Road surface markings are either mechanical, non-mechanical, or temporary. They can be used to delineate traffic lanes, inform motorists and pedestrians or serve as noise generators when run across a road, or attempt to wake a sleeping driver when installed in the shoulders of a road. Road surface marking can also indicate regulation for parking and stopping.
There is continuous effort to improve the road marking system, and technological breakthroughs include adding reflectivity, increasing longevity, and lowering installation cost.
An unassuming Dutch traffic engineer showed that streets without signs can be safer than roads cluttered with arrows, painted lines, and lights. Are we ready to believe him? – source – The Traffic Guru by Tom Vanderbilt