Regional Roads Victoria, part of the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, faced significant challenges with night-time visibility and safety on country roads in heavy fog and sleet conditions.

The absence of electric lighting on many rural roads can result in a lack of clear definition approaching intersections and curves, causing vehicles to veer from their lanes.

Additionally, the driving knowledge and skills of non-local drivers posed further risks.

These rural roads are frequented by tourists and occasional visitors who might not be familiar with the local road conditions, leading to an increased likelihood of crashes, injuries and deaths.

The traditional approach of installing electric lighting is not always feasible due to high installation and maintenance costs, as well as the environmental impact associated with energy consumption.

Thus, there was a pressing need for a solution to improve product life cycles, improve financial sustainability, reduce the environmental impact of electric lighting and provide improved visibility and safety.

To address these issues, Smarterlite’s Photoluminescent Linemarking was installed along nearly 20km of roads and paths in regional Victoria, including Bendigo, Kinglake, and Metung.

This innovative linemarking system enhances visibility during the evening and in poor visibility conditions without the need for electric lighting. The selected sites included rural highways, winding unlit shared user paths, intersections with minor side roads, and a popular shared user path frequented by recreational and commuter cyclists. The photoluminescent linemarking absorbs daylight and electric light, emitting stored light in darkness to create enhanced visibility compared to standard painted lines.

The installations included various road configurations, such as bends of different radii and various seal widths, demonstrating the adaptability of the product in diverse conditions.

The installation process was efficient, causing minimal disruption to traffic and community activities.

Smarterlite Linemarking’s ability to absorb and emit light makes it significantly more visible to road users, cyclists, and pedestrians than ordinary linemarking.

It is also more cost-effective to install and operate compared to electric road lighting, with no electricity emissions and no new roadside hazards such as poles.

This solution provides road agencies, managers, and councils with an affordable method to treat dark, high-risk roads without the high costs associated with electric lighting infrastructure.

Additionally, it helps reduce light pollution and its negative impacts on wildlife. The photoluminescent linemarking enhances safety, ensuring people get home safely every day. It also demonstrates how to reduce the environmental impact of construction, how to decrease carbon in the economy and how to decrease energy usage.

The installation of Smarterlite Linemarking resulted in enhanced visibility and improved delineation on dark, high-risk roads. This helped reduce the number of accidents at night and in adverse weather conditions, providing drivers with stronger definition approaching intersections and curves, and giving them more time to react

The project also received viral social media coverage, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes and shares globally, and was featured in various media articles and news items.

Community feedback highlighted the increased sense of safety and confidence while driving on these treated roads.