City of Ottawa's Strategies to Revive Fading Paint on Road Lanes and Intersections
The City of Ottawa is currently grappling with durability issues related to its road paint, as stated by Councillor Tim Tierney in May. In a bid to address this issue, the city has adopted a targeted material strategy, balancing safety, cost, and environmental concerns.
According to Tierney, the city is using 'water paint' on roads due to federal regulations for road paint. The strategy includes the use of Solvent-Based (Acetone) paint, Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), and Thermoplastics, each with their specific properties and applications.
However, some councillors have raised concerns about the fading white and yellow lines on city streets. To address this, the city has acquired new equipment for 'high-volume, durable applications' and integrated GPS-enabled Skip-Line systems on new trucks to track paint application in real-time.
Moreover, the city's maintenance standard for pavement markings requires yellow dividing lines, white edge lines, and white vehicular and bike lane lines to be reapplied once a year. Additionally, all signalized and unsignalized intersection markings such as stop bars, crosswalks, directional arrows, etc., are applied twice per year.
The city's pavement marking program restripes over 5,500 kilometres of existing roadway, 6,500 intersections, and thousands of special markings from mid-April to mid-November.
Emerging technologies such as pavement dryers and Methyl Methacrylate truck agitators are being tested and implemented to reduce weather-related delays and improve application consistency.
The city continues to explore and test new products and techniques in consultation with manufacturers and other municipalities. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandated the transition to low-VOC road marking materials in 2012, and the city's transition to these materials has presented operational challenges, particularly under 'Ottawa's winter conditions and high traffic volumes.'
Councillor Tierney has expressed concern about the cost to taxpayers, stating that the current situation is costing them a lot of money and nothing is changing, as it's the same paint being used. In response, Tierney is meeting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities president this week to discuss road paint regulations and push for changes.
Councillor Riley Brockington has also noted that the road painting program has fallen behind in refreshing both regular road painting lines and road paint related to traffic calming measures. The city is taking steps to address the disappearing paint, including using different materials for certain situations and prioritizing repainting arterial roads.
The city's policy requires that all road markings comply with federal and provincial environmental regulations, which currently limit the broader use of more durable and visible marking materials. Despite these challenges, the city remains committed to finding solutions to ensure the safety and efficiency of its roads.
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