STREETSCAPE GUIDANCE

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INTRODUCTION
PART A
A vision for London’s streets
PART B
From strategy to delivery
PART C
New measures for new challenges
PART D
Balancing priorities
PART F
Appendix
PART E
Physical design and materials
SECTION 6
Introduction
SECTION 7
High quality footways
SECTION 8
Carriageways
SECTION 9
Crossings
SECTION 10
Kerbside activity
SECTION 11
Footway amenities
SECTION 12
Safety and functionality
SECTION 13
Street environment
SECTION 14
Transport interchanges
Streetscape Guidance
[Part E – Physical design and materials] Carriageways 109
8.3 Road markings
Road markings provide traffic signing information
and look to enhance the safety and legibility of
the road space for all road users. Road markings
are applied to the carriageway surface as lines,
symbols or words, and in some instances will be
marked on the kerb and footway, or temporarily
at roadworks.
Road markings are classified as:
• Regulatory – enforceable traffic management
markings
• Warning and information – road markings that
increase awareness of likely hazards
• Directional – location and route guidance
Statutory requirements and detailed information
on the design and placement of road markings
for the public highway are provided in the
TSRGD.
Design approach
Design teams should adopt a consistent
approach across the network to:
• Ensure safety
• Provide sufficient information to promote
good lane discipline
• Encourage traffic regulation compliance and
enable efficient enforcement
Minimising visual clutter
Design teams should adopt an approach of
minimising road markings to ensure they are
carefully considered in conjunction with the
character and function of the street, as well
as the placement of adjacent traffic signs. The
removal of any unnecessary road markings will
help to reduce visual clutter and maintenance
costs, and in most cases contribute to improved
legibility. The following considerations should be
made to rationalise road markings:
• Road markings which include words (for
example, ‘keep clear’/‘look left’) should be
assessed to see if they are needed
• Yellow boxed areas can look unsightly and
consideration should be given to removal
where legal enforcement is not necessary
• To help facilitate a traffic calming effect,
reduced road markings can help in some
locations, such as the removal of carriageway
centrelines (Centreline removal trial, TfL, 2014)
Figure 108: Victoria Embankment: ‘Keep clear’
markings have been used instead of a yellow box
Figure 109: Carefully considered road markings
will improve legibility and reduce visual clutter