When we drive, our experience behind the wheel isn’t enough for a safe driving, for that, in all occasion, we need a correct delineation to get safe and sound to our destiny. But do you know what is this last?
If you don’t, stay with us and learn more about this topic. If you already have a notion of it, join us and discover even more.
What traffic delineation is?
Traffic delineation or beaconing is an essential type of street and highway signage to provide a better driving. This is conformed by different devices set in places where visibility is essential to avoid an accident, or, to reduce the severity of these.
What are these signs for?
Traffic delineation is intended to be used, above all, in highways and streets, their versatile functionality can be applied in works and social events.
This class of signage is conformed by different tools manufactured in different materials, mainly, plastics and electronic devices.
Their implementation helps to guide, warn and regulate vehicle and pedestrian transit in highways, construction zones, industrial, commercial areas, massive events, and all that situation or area that needs delineation.
For that, their main function is to indicate dangerous zones, guide during roads, create evacuation sites, indicate changes in the way of automobile transit, delineate traffic works, and create safe tracks for cyclists in streets.
How the traffic delineation works?
Delineation is conformed by many and different devices. All of them can work separately or complement among them to create a bigger support. Depending on the situation, it must be chosen the correct tool to delineate.
Another distinctive feature, is that it doesn’t matter what are used for, delineation must provide a better visibility and being visible for themselves. Meaning, can have reflective materials or elements, that can go from LED lights to reflective paint. The aim of this is the visibility during the night or in low light situations.
Types of traffic delineation
Even though exist many ways to delineate, it could be said that all of them are divided in two main categories: barrier and guidance devices.
The delineation with barriers has the quality of being temporary and adapt to the required circumstances. This is mainly used to restrict the access to certain areas or delineate perimeters.
These devices are conformed by:
- Fixed and mobile barriers: prohibit the partial or total way of passage. Some of them can be filled with water or sand to provide them greater weight and stability, depending if will be require to leave them in a place or move them to another.
- Provisional Directional Panel: Conformed by electronic devices and LED lights, guide the direction of traffic and prohibit the passage. It can go from arrow boards to radars.
- Flags or cones: work as the easier, but also, most effective delineation. When set in rows, delineate a perimeter. However, their use is so common that, sometimes, is enough to set just one or a pair of them to create an imaginary environment that people know doesn’t have to pass.
- Lights: these can be through lamps or delineations with light included, these work to sign the closing of a road. Their functioning can be steady or flashing. Nowadays, many devices of these kind have solar technology and are resistant to UV rays, making them more eco friendly.
- In terms of guide devices, are usually connected in zones as curves to warn constant risk situations. For that, in comparison to barriers, their implementation is fixed not temporary.
These devices are conformed by:
- Traffic posts: most of them are flexible. These can be set with bases to provide them greater weight or if required, fasten to concrete or pavement. These work as lane separators, or delineators in the ends of roads, this feature also allow to implement them in bike ways.
- Directional panels: in the case of panels of greater size, is possible to transmit messages to inform about the current situation of the road or other indications.
- Horizontal studs and for barrier: the first ones are set on asphalt, while the second ones, are vertically, to indicate the speed limits. Their reflective function or with light, are indispensable to guide during night or in zones such as tunnels.
- Lateral barriers: these are fixed devices which aim is delineate roads, for example, closed curves and impede driver get off the road.
It must be noted that, the barrier devices can be also used to delineate a work in construction, avoiding pedestrians invade the zone. Likewise, can be used to mark perimeters in massive events, indicating the allowed and prohibited areas.
Now you know more about what is it and how it works the vehicle delineation, you can be calmed by knowing that those roads or zone that you cover with these devices, will be safe roads for you.
