Increased investment in white line painting improves highways throughout Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council is improving the safety and visual impact of its highways network thanks to increased investment into white line painting on roads throughout the county.

In July, the council's cabinet agreed to invest an extra £200,000 each year for the next three years into white line painting. This funding is being used to boost the £270,000 the council already spends on white line painting each year, with a focus over the three years on renewing give way lines, roundabout markings and stop lines in urban areas and on inter-urban roads.

This financial year, the council's main priority has been painting the markings on high-speed rural sections on A and B roads, as the centre lines on these routes provide the greatest improvements to road safety.  Some other routes have also been painted, but the vast majority of the work has been on the A and B class network.

Since April, the council has painted 185,585 metres of white lines throughout the county, with more to come over the next three years, though the work is scaled back over the autumn and winter, as the road surface conditions aren't as favourable for line painting during these months.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: We know from speaking to our communities that maintenance such as white line painting really makes a difference to the appearance of our highways, and of course more importantly it improves safety, too.

We've painted more than 185,000 metres of white lines and markings so far this year, and with our increased investment over the next three years, this number will greatly increase and people will notice a real difference in their communities.

Our Business Plan sets out our commitment to improving road safety, and our current focus on painting markings on high-speed rural A and B roads will help to keep people safer on our highways network.

To find out more about white line marking in Wiltshire, people should go to: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/highways-roads-care-cycle-lanes.