What standards, requirements, or regulations govern town road striping?

The NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program recommends that officials take into account the whole system before striping or changing striping that is already on a road. Stripes are valuable, but do have to be maintained.

The following is a text from the 2009 Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Guidance refers to a “should” condition. In this case the stripes should be placed unless there is good reason based upon an engineering study to not place the stripes. In either case, the reasons should be documented.

Chapter 3B. Pavement and Curb Markings
Section 3B.01 Yellow Center Line Pavement Markings and Warrants
Guidance:

10 Center line markings should be placed on paved urban arterials and collectors that have a traveled way of 20 feet or more in width and an ADT of 4,000 vehicles per day or greater. Center line markings should also be placed on all rural arterials and collectors that have a traveled way of 18 feet or more in width and an ADT of 3,000 vehicles per day or greater. Center line markings should also be placed on other traveled ways where an engineering study indicates such a need.
It is also important to find out why the citizen feels it is necessary to stripe the road. If there have been crashes or other safety incidents, there may be a variety of options for increasing safety beyond striping the road.

Conducting a Road Safety Assessment to review the safety concerns from the resident can be effective in identifying problems, discussing potential solutions, and involving more stakeholders in the issue.

Here is a link to an article on a Road Safety Assessment the NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program performed on behalf of the Town of Clarence Highway Department.
https://cornell.app.box.com/v/2018Winter

The NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program also produces a Traffic Sign Handbook for Local Roads which contains information on pavement marking in Chapter 10. We provide these books for free to NYS local Highway and Public Works departments or you can download the book online.

Resources:

NYS Traffic Sign Handbook for Local Roads
https://cornell.app.box.com/v/clrp-pb-tsh

CLRP Publications Request Form
https://cornell.app.box.com/v/pub

Nuggets & Nibbles Winter 2018
https://cornell.app.box.com/v/2018Winter

For Information on a Formal Road Safety Audit see:
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/rsa/
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/proven countermeasures/road_safety_audit/

 

October, 19'