COLOURED ROADS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 124, 11 May 1935, Page 13

COLOURED ROADS

Aiding Driving Vision

Driving vision at night has become a matter of serious interest, because of the increase of traffic on modern highways and the effects of stieet lighting. Good results have been secured by employing special lamps, which emit an even, well-diffused light, and in their attempts to find a solution of the trouble, local authorities in other countries are making wider use of such illumination, and are also investigating the feasibility of imparting a suitable colour to concrete roads, ft has been proposed that the best layout for a major road in residential districts would be to have strong colour contrasts between the vehicle thoroughfare, the kerbs, and the footpath. The first should have a light tint, but be so coloured that glare from sunlight or headlamps would be reduced, the Kerb should be very prominent, and the footpath well defined It is reported that in Guernsey certain roads have been built with a red concrete surface, buff-coloured footpaths, and white kerbing. Experiments are also to be made with a green tint for main surfaces, and in several municipalities in Great Britain coloured roads are under trial.

There seem to be many good possibilities in the form of construction described, if the colouring of the concrete can be carried out reasonably cheaply at the time the surface is first set down.