Road Safety Charities Divided Over Plans to Remove White Lines
Norfolk council bosses are in talks with the Department of Transport to erase some of the white lines marking the centre of some of the county’s narrow, rural roads. However, several road safety charities have stepped up to oppose the speed-reducing tactic.
Research has previously shown that removing the central white lines on certain roads makes motorists drive more cautiously and at a slower speed. Transport for London reported at 13% decrease in vehicle speeds following a trial in London and a number of authorities in the UK have trialled the removal of the central lines following resurfacing work. However, not all road safety experts are convinced.
Do white lines help decrease speed?
Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy at the AA said, “Far from talking their use down we should be talking it up. They have a vital role in keeping road users safe.”
Gary Rae, campaigns director for road safety charity Brake points out that removing white lines will not automatically reduce the number of collisions. “While crashes at lower speeds can mean fewer deaths and serious injuries, this data only seems to look at a possible reduction in average speed and not the number and nature of any collisions,” he said. “With or without white lines, drivers should always drive to the conditions of the road and well within the speed limit.”
Although some safety experts argue that the UK’s roads should have more road markings, and not less, others see things quite differently.
Speaking to the Guardian, Tracy Jessup, Norfolk’s assistant director for highways explained that removing road markings could have a positive effect on speed. “The removal of a centre white line wouldn’t be suitable on main roads with high traffic flows, but it can work well on certain quieter roads which already enjoy lower traffic speeds,” she explained. “Fewer road markings can improve street safety for everyone by making drivers more cautious, increasing awareness and lowering speeds.”
For now, it seems that the speed-reducing tactic of removing white lines is only being considered for smaller, rural areas following resurfacing work. Exactly how removing lines from roads will contribute affect the number of collisions is yet to be seen, but road safety experts are keeping a close eye on the current removal schemes currently under consideration in Norfolk and across the UK.
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