Model for predicting road markings service life

Abstract

Road markings provide drivers with the information necessary for their comfortable and safe journey. To achieve that, they must be visible in all driving conditions, which means that they have to be renewed and maintained in a timely manner. This research aims to develop a model for predicting the service life of paint, thermoplastic and agglomerate cold plastic road markings. The research comprised 5218.00 km (115 roads) of solvent-borne paint road markings, 579.00 km (30 roads) of thermoplastic and 4979.00 km (30 roads) of agglomerate cold plastic road markings. The retroreflectivity of road markings was measured two times (after renewal and after winter) using the dynamic measuring method. Service life prediction model was developed for each material based on factors such as initial retroreflectivity, road marking age and position, annual average daily traffic and winter maintenance activity of the road. Developed models were tested using a new data set, and all three models showed satisfactory accuracy. The application of the model enables road authorities to optimise road-marking maintenance activities, while at the same time, ensuring the level of visibility required by drivers.