Revolutionary NSW road markings trial reveals dramatic safety improvement
In December 2024, the state government installed photoluminescent line markings along Bulli Pass, a steep and winding descent south of Sydney, to improve night-time visibility and road safety.
Bulli Pass was initially selected due to a spate of near misses involving trucks and motorcycles.
Six months on, Transport for NSW has confirmed to Yahoo News that additional sites are now being reviewed, following the trial's promising early results, which included a 67 per cent drop in night-time near misses.
There have been promising results since NSW trialled the technology late last year. Picture: Supplied
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The success of the Bulli Pass trial has prompted the government to explore expanding the technology to other high-risk locations across the state.
Similar to glow-in-the-dark toys and stickers, these road markings are made with a photoluminescent paint that absorbs sunlight during the day and emits a soft glow at night. This technology aims at helping drivers see lanes more clearly and navigate curves in lowlight conditions.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson told Yahoo News the glow markings are designed to improve visibility in low light and poor weather, especially on roads where regular street lighting isn't practical.
The hairpin turn on Bulli Pass using glow-in-the-dark markings. Picture: Supplied
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'The benefit of the glow was greatest in improving visibility beyond the range of vehicle headlights — increasing the visibility of the lines on the bend to just below daylight detectability when the glow was fully charged,' they said.
Community feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive, with 83 per cent of surveyed motorists backing the trial after reporting an increased sense of safety when travelling along the route.
Glow-in-the-dark road markings may become one of several safety tools used to help meet the state's ambitious goal of eliminating all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
And not only can it be used for drivers on roads, but it can also be expanded to footpaths, bike paths, helicopter landing pads, and airstrips in a bid to improve visibility and safety.
While NSW's trial has gained momentum, Victoria previously tested similar technology in 2022 but did not move forward with a wider rollout.
Five rural roads, including a one-kilometre stretch of Metong Road in Victoria's southeast, were illuminated under the trial, conducted by Gippsland company Tarmac Linemarking in collaboration with OmniGrip and VicRoads.
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Victoria trialled glow-in-the-dark markings on Metong Road in 2022. Picture: Supplied
Tarmac Linemarking's John Emanuelli said at the time he had been swamped by businesses and councils looking to have their paths illuminated.
'There's been a lot of interest since the trial run, it's a great product,' he said.
An independent evaluation of the trial conducted for Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning concluded there were insufficient road safety benefits to justify rolling out photoluminescent line markings on more roads.
Unlike NSW's trial, however, Victoria's did not include very low-speed environments such as tight curves on high-speed roads.
James Chung
Digital Content Creator
James is a Digital Content Creator at news.com.au and is part of the News Corp Australia's digital real estate team. His previous experience includes working for Sky News Australia.
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