Different types of lane dividers

Are you a bicyclist who loves to ride his bicycle in the evenings to feel the environment and remain young and fit? The feeling after doing what you are passionate about is self-soothing and satisfactory.

However, your favourite hobby may strike as a fatal obstruction. If you’re a cyclist, you must have bumped into a vehicle on the freeway and hurt yourself. This is very common but can also be dangerous.

There are traffic control devices that can avoid such unsafe dangers, i.e., lane dividers. They are obstructions that MUTCD and the Department of Transportation permit.

A lane divider separates a traffic lane by creating a marking between bicycles and normal passing vehicles.

Let’s unwind the specifications of these lane dividers and help you get acquainted with everything about lane dividers that you must know.

Top 4 lane separator materials!

Since lane dividers have reduced bicycle accidents by around 80%, transportation engineers have made lane separators with different material compositions.

However, another main way to protect cyclists from vehicles in oncoming lanes or opposite directions is to create lane markings.

Creating crossings and on-road lanes has helped divide traffic and protect motorists from hazardous incidents.

Elsewhere, popular lane separator materials are as follows:

• Rubber

• Asphalt

• Plastic

• Steel

Learn more: Top 4 lane separator materials!

If you want to discover more information about these materials, you can refer to our articles below:

Rubber cycle lane dividers

They are the most suitable because they are durable and elastic, which means they can last a lifetime. Plus, they are weatherproof, and their colour will last a long time.

Learn more: Rubber lane dividers – your best choice!

Concrete lane dividers

They are permanent solutions that protect all motorists from any passing vehicles. They are strong, and if a vehicle tries to cross them over, the vehicle will get damaged.

However, they might not suit emergency vehicles due to possible delays. Similarly, it takes time to install concrete lane dividers because of labour work.

Learn more: Advantages and disadvantages of concrete lane dividers!

Plastic lane dividers

There are other thermoplastic lane dividers that ensure motorists’ safety. They are also cost-effective road lane separators that delineate vehicles uniformly.

Another great benefit of plastic separators is that they are lightweight and can be installed quickly.

Learn more: Is plastic lane divider good to use?

Steel lane separators

Quite uncommon, but steel lane separators are another type of lane divider. However, they are mostly seen on freeways and busy roadways with heavy vehicles.

They are mostly found in the centre lane, where traffic runs in two ways.

What are the different colours of cycle lane dividers?

According to some traffic laws and regulations, the colour for traffic control devices is specific and must be followed. The colours mentioned above are visible in dark surroundings and during fog season.

Therefore, emergency vehicles and buses can observe these colours and avoid collisions. Many companies that sell these lane dividers also offer an option to get personalized colours.

Therefore, you can choose any colour according to the vehicle code of your country. Furthermore, there are glass studs on some lane dividers that illuminate in the dark and help drivers identify a specific bike lane.

Besides, there can be signages, like road signs, speed-limit signs, and stop lines with a biker lane indication to beware drivers about the way ahead.

Therefore, these signages can also help drivers to avoid any accidents.

Certainly, these cycle lane separators are for the safety of cyclists. Therefore, they must have an eye-striking colour that catches the driver’s attention, making them drive in a specific lane.

Cycle lane separators have reflective stripes and bright colours that caution cyclists and vehicle drivers to ride accordingly.

Elsewhere, the most common colours of cycle lane dividers include:

• Black and yellow

• Black and white

• Red and white

Learn more: What are the different colours of cycle lane dividers?

Black and yellow lane dividers help make bike lanes more visible in dark places like parking lots and tunnels. These colours are approved by transportation authorities and used in road markings to clearly separate traffic. This helps drivers notice bike lanes, reducing the chance of accidents.

Lane dividers often have reflective tape or glass beads to increase visibility even more. By keeping lanes separate, these dividers make traffic flow more smoothly and keep pedestrians and cyclists safer.

In simple terms, black and yellow lane dividers make it easy to see bike lanes and lower the risk of crashes between bikes and cars.

Learn more: Benefits of black and yellow lane dividers!

What are the different shapes of cycle lane dividers?

As discussed above, lanes can be divided by paint markings or traffic control separators.

Both categories consist of different variants and shapes, which work almost similarly in disrupting the traffic flow of cyclists and standard passing vehicles.

For lane separators, there are following several options:

• Armadillo

• Standard rectangular dividers

• Button shape

• Lane dividers with guideposts

Armadillo is a small plastic bump with a round, oval shape extending around 740 mm in length. These are growing popular across Europe because they are small and don’t take up a lot of space.

Even if a vehicle mistakenly hits an Armadillo lane divider, the vehicle will only feel a slight bump. The most common types of lane dividers are rectangular, covering up to 1,000 mm in length.

However, some can even have a short length, i.e., around 760 mm. They are quite popular, and several pieces are placed in a series with short gaps to create separate bikeways for cyclists.

Similarly, some types of lane dividers come in a circle shape. Most commonly, these are round concrete slabs that act as lane dividers. These are also small and are great for creating separate bike paths.

A caution or flex guidepost is another poll-like structure that can beware drivers about a lane separator. These posts can be bolted or inserted in the lane separators to create a separate passage for cyclists.

Most standard lane dividers can accommodate a guidepost around 760 mm high. These have reflective rims, which makes it easier to spot them. However, these posts can also be placed separately so that you can create separate bike lanes with only these posts.

Learn more: What are the different shapes of cycle lane dividers?

Different paint markings for road separation

As mentioned above, several colour markings have a purpose and serve as an indication for drivers. There are solid white line markings, white dashed lines, yellow lines, double yellow lines, and solid red lines.

If there is a solid line, it indicates that you might not cross your lane. Similarly, dashed lines indicate that you may change your traffic lane, and there will be no fines or punishment.

Similarly, there are separate lanes for different vehicles. For example, an HOV lane is specifically for heavy trucks. While these are some traffic line protocols, and every motorist must adhere to them, several line markings act as lane separators for bikes.

Some of them are as follows:

• Buffered bike lanes

• Sharrows

• Striped bike lanes

Buffered bike lanes involve creating a separate space for bikers. Furthermore, there is an additional space between cyclists and the other passing vehicles. Therefore, this creates a vast distance, which increases the protection of cyclists.

Sharrows are visual images on roads that indicate that a particular road lane is specifically for cyclists.

Last but not least, striped bike lanes are the most basic type of markings, where white painted lines create a separate lane for bicyclists that act as a lane divider.

Conclusion

Having separate bike lanes on the road creates safety and allows cyclists to enjoy their passion without worries.

No more collisions, knee injuries, and incidents – all this is possible by using cycle lane dividers. Besides cyclists, these specific areas also provide a haven for most pedestrians to cross the road.

If you love to ride your cycle to feel the early morning cool breeze that freshens the soul, a lane separator in your jurisdiction may come in handy.

Since these are important tools, you must ensure that you get them from a quality supplier. At Sino Concept, we deal in suitable, safe, high-quality rubber traffic control ramps and lane separators that are visible enough to delineate.

Feel free to check these lane dividers for your neighbourhood by visiting our website.

To learn more, we advise you to refer to the following pages: