Marlborough District Council Roading Assets - Activity Management Plan 2015 - 2018 SECTION 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Painted Markings Painted Markings are the most changeable of all sealed road assets due to their relatively short expected life. Depending on traffic volumes markings can last between 6mths and 3 years before they drop below the expected level of service (typically lasting around 1 year). Shortened life can be experienced due to excessive wear in high traffic volume areas or due to specific road condition i.e. flushing or frost gritting. Therefore road markings are usually re-painted once per year and are in good condition. A register of road markings is held in the RAMM database although it is known to be incomplete at this time. Raised Reflectorised Pavement Markers RRPM’s have been installed on some arterial and collector streets, particularly in areas with high traffic volumes, to improve safety by highlighting traffic lanes. They have also been installed as initiated by the Minor Safety Programme. Typically RRPM’s have an expected life of 5 years although a marked deterioration in reflectivity is noticed after 12 months. There is no fixed asset register of RRPM’s, however they can be accommodated in RAMM in the markings table, at this stage this asset inventory data has not been collected or managed in RAMM. This has been noted in Section 14 of this AMP as an improvement opportunity. As the inventory data is not managed we are unable to draw a conclusion on the current condition of this asset. Signs Council maintains the signs inventory data inside of the RAMM database, which is continually being updated. Traffic signs are generally in good condition as they rarely reach the end of their expected life due to: Accidental Damage; Vandalism; Environmental damage (fading). There are approximately 28% of the signs of a reflectivity grade not meeting current standards and a further 24% of unknown reflectivity grade. There is currently no replacement programme for these signs as it is expected that most will eventually get replaced due to the above conditions. Sight Rails Sight rails have traditionally been used to highlight hazards such as curves, bridges, culverts, intersections and under-slips. They are generally constructed of light timber and painted white. A database, although not necessarily complete, is maintained in RAMM. No condition assessment is undertaken on this asset so the condition of existing sight rails is unknown. As stricter guidelines for protecting motorists from roadside hazards were introduced, guardrails are now used in places where sight rails were typically used. A number of sight rails are likely to be replaced with guardrail as the use of sight rail to protect motorists from hazards is strongly discouraged. Guardrails Guardrails are structural rails designed to protect motorists from hazards alongside the road, Generally steel w-section railings are used in the Council Network, however it is worth noting that wire rope barriers are gaining popularity mainly due to a reduced installation cost, it is likely that we will begin to see these types of guard rails being installed in the life of this AMP as the sight rails mentioned above are replaced in favour of guard railing. The RAMM database contains a register of all known guardrails although the condition of most is not known. Edge Marker Posts/Hazard Markers Edge marker posts are installed to define the edge of the road, and hazard markers attached to highlight hazards. There is no fixed asset register of edge marker posts and as such age and condition are unknown, however the condition is thought to be good for the majority of this asset as edge marker posts have a short life span, and are replaced when identified to be damaged, deficient or missing. Hazard markers are signs and held in the signs asset register inside of RAMM. Traffic Islands Traffic islands are installed to guide motorists through and around intersections as well as providing refuges for pedestrians while crossing busy roads. The RAMM database contains an Island table to record traffic island records, however this is known to be incomplete. Of the records stored 50% of the islands have a condition rating of average or better. For the other islands without a condition assessment the majority of these are estimated to be in average or above average condition. 30 September 2014 Page 106 of Section 1