New South Wales will become the second Australian state to trial glow-in-the-dark road markings, as governments look to curb the nation’s rising road toll.
The NSW Government will install photoluminescent line markings on the 3km-long Bulli Pass – a road to the north of Wollongong which features a steep incline/descent – for six months, assessing the ‘Glow Roads’ for a potential statewide rollout.
A glow-in-the-dark road sign will also be installed.
The Bulli Pass was selected due to its sharp hairpin turn which has seen “a spike in near-miss incidents between 9pm and 4am” over the 12 month period to June 30 this year, with a total of 125 near-misses were recorded in that time.
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“Data shows around a third of fatal crashes in NSW happen at night,” said NSW Roads Minister John Graham, as reported by Roads Online.
“If this trial is deemed a success, we will look at its application on other locations with a history of crashes or near-misses where better visibility is needed.”
The paint formula used in ‘Glow Roads’ works by absorbing sunlight during the day which is then stored and used to light up the markings at night.
Glow Roads are claimed to “provide a safe alternative at sites where street lighting is not practical.”
“This initiative offers an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solution on regional roads with limited or non-existent street lighting,” said Jenny Aitchison, Regional Transport and Roads Minister, Roads Online reports.
Victoria trialled a similar program on regional roads in 2022, although it was deemed there were insufficient road safety benefits to justify a wider rollout of Glow Roads.
Similar outcomes were recorded in a 2014 trial in the Netherlands, where the Glow Roads were shown to be susceptible to fading when subjected to heavy rainfall, which in turn reduced their visibility to motorists. As a result, the project was abandoned.
Australia’s road toll has climbed every year since 2020, and the trend is set to continue this year. A total of 1063 people lost their lives to the end of October, with New South Wales accounting for nearly one quarter of those deaths.
