PAVEMENT EDGE LINES ON TWENTY-FOUR FOOT SURFACES IN LOUISIANA

PAVEMENT EDGE STRIPS WERE PLACED ON A LIMITED MILEAGE OF 2-LANE RURAL ROADS WITH 24-FT BITUMINOUS SURFACES IN LOUISIANA. THE STRIPES ARE REFLECTORIZED 4-IN. SOLID WHITE LINES PLACED APPROXIMATELY 12 INCHES FROM THE EDGE OF THE PAVEMENT. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT THAT A BROKEN OR CONTINUOUS LINE AT VARIOUS DISTANCES FROM THE PAVEMENT EDGE HAS ON THE LATERAL PLACEMENT OF VEHICLES. ANOTHER OBJECTIVE WAS TO FIND A PATTERN OF BROKEN LINE GIVING MAXIMUM CONTRAST TO THE STANDARD CENTER LINE WITH MINIMUM COSTS. PLACEMENT AND SPEED BY TYPE OF VEHICLE WERE OBSERVED SEPARATELY DURING DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS BY VARIOUS MANEUVERS. RESULTS SHOW THAT: (1) VEHICLE PLACE DURING DAYTIME IS NOT APPRECIABLY AFFECTED BY LEDGE STRIPING, (2) VEHICLE PLACEMENT ON EDGE STRIPE SECTIONS, AS COMPARED TO UNSTRIPED SECTIONS, IS LITTLE AFFECTED BY THE POSITION OF THE EDGE STRIPE IN ANY OF THE 3 POSITIONS STUDIED, AND (3) THE PATTERN OF BROKEN EDGE STRIPES HAS LITTLE OR NO EFFECT ON VEHICLE PLACEMENT. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF EDGE STRIPPING ON THE DRIVER WAS STUDIED BY INTERVIEWING MOTORISTS HAVING PASSED THROUGH THE TEST SECTIONS. THE STUDY CONCLUDES THAT: (1) THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT ON A MAJORITY OF VEHICLE DRIVERS IS THE ONLY BENEFIT FROM PAVEMENT EDGE LINES FOUND, (2) THE TENDENCY OF VEHICLES TO MOVE TOWARD THE CENTER OF EDGE STRIPED PAVEMENTS DOES NOT APPEAR SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO CREATE ANY ABNORMAL HAZARD ON A 24-FT. SURFACE, HOWEVER, THIS MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO NARROWER PAVEMENTS.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/178/178-002.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 178, pp 12-20, 16 FIG, 1 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Thomas Jr, I L
• Publication Date: 1958

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 9p
• Monograph Title: Vehicle performance as affected by pavement edge lines and traffic signals
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 178
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Bituminous materials; Drivers; Edge lines; Interviewing; Lateral placement; Motor vehicles; Pavements; Psychological aspects; Reflectorized materials; Road markings; Rural highways; Striping; Surface treating; Traffic speed
• Old TRIS Terms: Bituminous surfacing; Driver psychology; Traffic marking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225374
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 16 1994 12:00AM