tfp15

"THE FINE PRINT"

The musings of Michael Schrader

     THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRIPING AND STRIPPING
(Published in 1994 in the Farmington Press-Leader. Posted in toto with Preface and Epilogue 23 July 2001)

PREFACE -- There was quite a bit of animosity between myself and Jeff Mills, another columnist. I had criticized Jeff’s constant whining, and he took the opportunity to take potshots at me. Jeff was one of those people who thought he was smart but came across as a blubbering fool. Jeff had written a column about the lack of striping (or as he called it, “stripping”) and suggested that the solution was to go to Wal-Mart and get a bucket of paint. I relished the opportunity to expose him for the idiot that I thought he was.

        One of the most misunderstood processes in the field of traffic engineering is pavement marking. On numerous occasions, I have seen this process referred to as stripping (two P's). Stripping (two P's) is the act of removing, be it clothes, wallpaper, paint, etc. Striping (one P) is the act of making stripes.
        Striping (one P) is not as easy as it appears. (However, stripping (two Ps), is.) Many people assume the county can go to Wal-Mart, buy some paint and a roller, and. . . ta-dah! Stripes! (In two-P vernacular, Strips!) Hand-painted stripes may be acceptable for parking lots and private property, but they are not acceptable for public roadways, as governments must meet certain minimum requirements which do not pertain to private property.
        For the striping of public streets, both special equipment and materials are required. First and foremost is a paint striper. (Again, one P. A two-P machine removes pavement markings.) Stripers range in price from several thousand dollars for the hand-pushed models used for crosswalks and stop bars to several hundred thousand dollars for the motorized models used for the painting of lane lines.
        Unlike many other pieces of equipment, stripers must undergo comprehensive maintenance every year in order for the machine to function. This maintenance consists of disassembly of the painting mechanisms, thorough cleaning of each and every part (to remove dried paint and prevent malfunction), and reassembly. Less-than-comprehensive maintenance will cause the striper to malfunction. This comprehensive (and expensive) maintenance requirement is one reason why many governments do not own a striper.
       The paint used in stripers is not an ordinary paint one would find at Wal-Mart.    It is a special paint formulated to dry fast (within two minutes) and not corrode a paint striper. Ordinary house paints, if used in a striper, will corrode the striper due to the chemical composition of the paint.    Thus, the need for non-corrosive paints.
         These special paints are not typical available at your neighborhood Wal-Mart. Rather, traffic marking paint is purchased from traffic supply companies. Due to its chemical composition, "traffic marking paint" is considered a hazardous waste, and thus special storage and disposal procedures are required.
        Paint, however, is not the only material used in striping traffic lines. Glass beads are also required.
       A painted line without beads, while visible during the day, is not visible in the night. Why? Because paint is not reflective. Glass beads, when added to the paint line, makes a painted line reflective, and thus visible at night.
       The lines painted by the city of Park Hills are not reflective. The reason they can be seen at night? Light from the street lights. If these same lines were painted in rural remote locations, they would not be able to be seen at night. And night time is when lane lines are needed the most.
       Any lane line placed on a public roadway must be reflective. (Legal minimum requirement). However, governmental agencies are not required to stripe roadways.
       "If you can't do it right, don't do it at all." The same principle hold true for pavement striping. It is considered to be a much greater offense to stripe improperly than not to stripe at all. That is why many governments do not stripe.

EPILOGUE -- Satire is a double-edged sword. While it is fun to insult someone without that person ever knowing that you have insulted him or her, it would be nice for the person that you have insulted to know that you are talking about him or her. This was the first of numerous columns written in this subtle satirical style, and to my recollection, not once did the person I was satirizing realize that I was ridiculing him or her.    Knowing Jeff Mills, I am confident that he did not pick up that I was mocking him, trying to bring him down off of the pedestal he built for himself.