Why Botts’ dots are being replaced on California roads
QYou wrote that Botts’ dots “can wear out in a few months and are difficult to replace,” which leads me to questions. What has changed in terms of their quality since they were conceived back in the 1960s? Why should they be any more difficult to replace than previously?
Are they wearing out quickly because drivers are going out of their way to drive on them, or have they been cheapened? Replacing them should be a simple matter of using the correct adhesive and applying it properly.
I understand we aren’t supposed to be driving by “Braille,” but the fact remains that an audible reminder of lane drifting would be more apparent than dealing with stripes that are dependent on which way the sun shines and current weather conditions.
Unless this is an effort to save money by allowing easy grinding of the existing stripes whenever a lane shift is needed, I don’t see the reason.
— Steve Russell,
Menlo Park
ATry this opinion from a fellow who worked on roads in Contra Costa County for 40 years.
QIt was my opinion that using thermoplastic striping was the more economical way to stripe roads because the materials last for decades, or at least until the street is repaved.
If Botts’ dots were not properly applied, they would pop off. And yes, they are a pain to replace.
Botts’ dots are being replaced with thermoplastic striping because newer cars have a safety feature called “lane keep,” where a camera looks for a “stripe” on each side of the car to keep it in its own lane. Botts’ dots do not work for
“lane keep,” as there is a 3-foot space between them, and therefore the camera cannot see them as a stripe.
— Lyle Burks, Contra Costa County Public Works, retired
AAnother factor is that we buy a lot of heavy SUVs, which pound our highways much more than lighter cars of the past did, and bigger big rigs are also pavement pounders.
The new nonreflective pavement markers will increase the width of all 4-inch-wide traffic lines to 6-inch-wide lines.
California is one of just four states using Botts’ dots, which were the idea of Elbert Botts, a Caltrans chemical engineer who once taught at San Jose State University.
QI have been trying to get Highway 1 restriped from the Pigeon Point lighthouse to the Santa Cruz County line.
The Caltrans website wants mile markers to submit a request, but all the mile markers are so faded I can’t read anything.
Any chance Highway 1 can get some help? — Kevin M.
AA work order is in, and thermoplastic striping may be installed.