Innovative and sustainable road markings. Always an edge

During integral major maintenance (IGO) on the national roads in Gelderland and Overijssel, various types of innovative and sustainable road markings were applied. The recipe of the 'longdot', among others, was introduced to the Dutch market by Van Velsen Reflectielijnen. The ribbed sawtooth in turn is not common, Van Velsen is therefore one of the few markers that can carry out this application technique.

Under the motto "always one step ahead," Van Velsen Reflectielijnen is constantly looking for new developments in lines and road markings. "Often a specification or contract only refers to the component specification and Rijkswaterstaat leaves the interpretation to the market," knows Frank Jansen, commercial manager at Van Velsen Reflectielijnen. "That was also the case here with the 2021-2022 IGO project. BAM Infra Nederland entrusted us with the interpretation of the markings for all sections (A12, A15, A50, N18, A35/N35, N36 and N48). We then offered the most economical overall package with an eye for the environment through the favorable MKI value, even though the latter was not explicitly requested. On the other hand, it is a nice touch."

Substantial material savings

On the renovated section of the A50 motorway, Van Velsen Reflectielijnen applied the so-called longdot. "It is a type of road marking that not only saves on materials, but also has very good reflective properties and therefore guarantees good visibility, even in wet weather conditions," says Anne-Marie Zuidweg, general manager of Van Velsen Reflectielijnen. The longdot is a non-covering marking, made up of elongated droplets about 6-8 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide, each with a space in between. Jansen: "The gaps ensure better drainage of rainwater and generate a slight 'humming' sound for increased attention of the road user, without disturbing the surroundings. The material savings are considerable. On the A50, we have installed 235 kilometers of longdot, using 160,000 kilograms of material. Feel free to add 120,000 kilograms if traditional marking were chosen."

From longdot to fluted sawtooth

In addition to the national roads, Van Velsen Reflectielijnen also provided the marking on secondary roads within the 2021-2022 IGO project. "Here we applied the ribbed sawtooth marking in large quantities, as well as the longdot in various widths," says Jansen. "For this project and this type of sawtooth marking, we had a special outlet made on our machine. The idea behind the sawtooth, which is embossed, is to increase the attention value for swerving road users, again with limited noise pollution for the surrounding area." 

It is great that clients are going along with the application of innovative and sustainable road markings, Zuidweg believes. "In doing so, we as Van Velsen are also investing in making our equipment more sustainable. We are going further and further in the electrification of our process, and if this is not yet fully successful, we will apply it to operations that can be carried out emission-free. For example, we use powerful battery packs to keep agitators moving in thermal boilers, instead of diesel. This is unique within the marking industry. It is also considered extremely pleasant ergonomically by our employees and the environment, due to a significant reduction in noise production. And so we are constantly developing and improving sustainability to keep that edge."