12 March 2020

The Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) has expressed its support for the Budget announcement which pledges £2.5bn in funding to fix potholes in England. However, the question of when Government intends to address the dire state of road markings across the country remains unanswered. Government whether national or local, must take a holistic approach to the maintenance of highway infrastructure and not focus solely on potholes.

Stu McInroy, RSMA Chief Executive, said: “We are fully supportive of all efforts that are made to make roads safer for users, however it appears that road markings, once again, are not considered when funding decisions are made.

“We have stated time and again that well maintained road markings are a key component in delivering safer roads for all users. Road markings are widely overlooked in terms of road safety however, improved or redesigned road markings can achieve an improvement in road safety comparable to expensive engineering and highway restructuring solutions at significantly less cost.

“With targets for autonomous vehicles still being pushed, careful consideration should be given sooner rather than later to address the need for bringing road markings up to the standard required. The alternative will be a retrospective panic when highly capable vehicles that are unsupported by appropriate infrastructure attempt to use our road network.”