Road markings in Scotland

Commendable that bikers are even being considered, but wrong (IMO) if you’re riding properly.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/new-road-markings-transform-behaviour-of-motorcyclists-on-bends/

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I suppose you could say that if you’re riding ‘properly’ and have the right road positioning you’ll go through the gate marking anyway. Plenty of people don’t think about it so any passive help to get riders to line up bends is a good thing, I’d say.

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On the face of it, it looks like a good idea. Quite a lot of ‘no other vehicle involved’ fatalities are probably caused by macho bikers going too fast and misreading bends, which gives us all a bad name in the road safety statistics. Most ‘motorcyclists’ are, after all, primarily car drivers who only ride a bike for a few weekends a year. My only questions are: (a) who decides where to put the markings, and (b) will there be smartarses who think that they know better? (I think I know the answer to the second one.) Still, it’s probably worth a try.

Ive been seeing these marks for years in Scotland? Not that common but been seeing them nonetheless. Nice idea but I actually found them a bit distracting as I found myself staring at the marks instead of the corner.

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From what I could see in the examples the markings just put you in the centre of your lane.
NOT proper road positioning IMO.
And yes I can imagine it being distracting.
But the study figures say it works… apparently.

Saw something with similar objective while away (can’t remember country), just angled hashes away from the centre line, but was wider road/fast sweeper so a different environment.

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Yes, when I said ‘who decides where to put the markings?’, I meant what expertise will they have? If the markings are unrealistically ‘safety first’, they will soon start to be ignored, and not just by the smartarses. A bit like the advisory maximum speeds you see on some bends.

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I can remember the marks I seen being rather conservative, definitely not making use of the full width of your lane. They were also accompanied by a sign telling you to stay within the chevrons.

There are chevrons on the A701 between Dumfries and Beattock, but they are to advise a safe distance from the vehicle in front. There are also roadside signs which light up, apparently at random, to tell you that you are too close to the vehicle in front, even when the road is clear and there aren’t any vehicles in front! Did they never read the fable about crying wolf?

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A bit like warning stickers on everything, we’re so accustomed to seeing them in large numbers everywhere, they get ignored.

And hi-viz jackets, DRL’s, etc …

Aaargh! Stop it!

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The markings, called Perceptual Rider Information for Maximising Expertise and Enjoyment (PRIMEs), are designed to help riders adapt their speed and positioning when approaching left-hand bends by aiming to use a painted ‘gateway’ and information signage.

And they show their crash test dummy entering a right hand bend?

Wait until some dash cam footage shows you’re not in the “goldilocks zone” and it affects your insurance claim or worse still apportions blame incorrectly, no thanks…

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I don’t imagine we’ll get a choice.

Rolls off the tongue nicely :joy: I hope whoever came up with the name is not in charge of placing the markers!

He’s probably in charge of a cheque for £100,000 for making it up.