Citation

Burghardt TE, Babic D, Pashkevich A. Transp. Res. D Trans. Environ. 2022; 109: e103339.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trd.2022.103339

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Road markings are road elements that require frequent periodic renewals (not replacement) to maintain their key properties. To evaluate the impact of materials selection on sustainability of road markings, several representative products were tested in the field. The results revealed that the main impactor for their service life was selection of paint, followed by the choice of glass beads. The measured length of service life was used to calculate the consumption of resources for a series of renewals until end-of-life. The outcome clearly demonstrated that lowest carbon footprint was achieved with road marking materials that afforded longest service life, even if their composition was not environmentally friendly. The methodology described in this article may be used by road administrators and by scientists as a tool for quick assessment of sustainability of road markings based on their service life during homologation testing and composition of the utilised materials.

Language: en

Keywords

Carbon footprint; Glass beads; Renewal policy; Retroreflectivity; Road maintenance policy