Pavement Markings in Iowa City, IA: Keeping Your Children Safe

What Styles of Pavement Marking are Available

When you’re choosing pavement markings for your road or parking lot, you have a broad range of different options that need to be considered. These are usually dictated by your city or state, though some federal roads may use other options, as well. Thankfully, these different styles are universal throughout the nation and should be something you see quite often as you work.

For example, a solid line of any type indicates some sort of restriction that vehicles must follow. Just think of the solid lines you see in the middle of the road – these indicate that drivers on the side of the road with that line cannot pass. And think of the line on the side of the road near the shoulder – this line tells the driver that they should not drive here and must avoid getting too close to the shoulder.

When you see double-solid lines – two solid lines and which are separated by a short distance – this indicates a maximum level of restriction. Just think of the road’s middle line when you see two solid lines – nobody can pass in these zones, usually because they are on hills. Diagonal lines also indicate a “solid” line restriction but are more common in parking lots than on freeways or roads.

Broken lines, meanwhile, are indicative of “permission” for a vehicle. Again, think of broken lines down the center of the road as you drive. These lines indicate that it is okay to pass for drivers on that side of the road. That said, wide lines that may be somewhat broken may show stop lines – these are perpendicular to the road, though, and are usually pretty distinct and broader than other pavement markings.

Color Indicates Many Different Things

Although most pavement markings you’re likely to see are going to be yellow or white, there are many other colors that you might see. These all help to dictate different things about your driving and make sure that everybody is safe on the road. We’ll break down a few of the most common of these colors to give you an idea of what you might anticipate when you’re on the road:

• Black and white stripes – These markings typically indicate an object and warn drivers to avoid this area, or else they may get damaged.
• Yellow – Yellow markings are very common and typically indicate caution – they do not restrict drivers in most cases but warn them to be more careful.
• Red – As you can imagine, red markings indicate danger and are very restrictive – usually, these are used in delicate areas where impact with a car would cause severe damage or other hazards. White is also used in this way.

In most cases, these are going to be the most common colors you see on pavement markings. There may be slightly different shades of these colors – such as lighter or darker reds – but these variations indicate the same situation. This color-coding helps to make sure that all roads are quite simple to understand and prevents any severe damage or accidents from occurring as you drive.

Different Marking Styles You May Encounter

While color is one of the essential factors when engaging with pavement markings, there are many other elements that you need to keep in mind. For example, you may see different shapes on the pavement that don’t seem evident at first glance. There are just a handful of different shapes that you need to worried about, each of which is pretty easy to understand once you know what they represent.

For example, circular signs warn you of a regulation that will apply to your driving, such as speed changes. Triangles are yield signs – and few people understand what to do when they see these road markings. Yield means to slow down and stop if traffic is coming on the road perpendicular to it – but drivers don’t need to stop if the road is otherwise clear and safe for them to drive.

Rectangular shapes indicate a few different things to drivers. For example, horizontal shapes are typically used on the road to display information, such as the name of a street or the city you are driving. By contrast, vertical signs indicate which direction the road goes or when the speed will slow down. Often, these pavement markings change as the city develops.

The location and orientation of a marking are also critical to understand when checking out these markings. For example, if a marking is upside down to your view when you are driving, it applies to the opposite lane of the highway – but if a matching sign is also on your side, it applies to both. And markings may be located on the right or left side of the road, as necessary to dictate the traffic flow.

Don’t Neglect Expert Assistance

If you need major pavement markings done in Iowa City, find trusted professionals to work with. We at Advanced Traffic Control are highly trained to handle each situation and understand the different elements that dictate how you mark your road. Our experts not only know the ins and outs of the marking process but can also provide maintenance to ensure your road markings stay fresh and visible for years to come.