Appendix 1 – Department’s Response to Review Recommendations (Road Markings)

Recommendation	Response	Update 23^rd June
The Review Board recommends that Officers continue to keep a watching brief on the development of new road marking materials and techniques and carry out trials to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing costs and increasing the durability of road markings.	Noted. We take a proactive approach to keeping abreast of innovations and what is available on the market for the delivery of all our services. Following a recent audit of road markings across the County, we have undertaken workshops with two providers looking at the use of resin based materials (MMA) that can last up to three times longer than conventional materials. It is our intention to carry out a trial using MMA products on a number of safety critical markings on high trafficked sites to assess longevity and value for money.	Our first trial using MMA product is currently underway on the South Way, Newhaven.
The Review Board recommends that the requirement to inspect road markings as part of routine inspections and the categories of road markings important for road safety are included in regular reminders to Highway Stewards and customer service staff.	Agreed. This area of work has been identified as a key part of the ongoing training for both Highway Stewards and Customer Service Advisors. We will continue to monitor this closely and ensure that the improvements recently made and noted by the Committee continue.	No further action required.
The Review Board recommends that the responsibilities of the utility companies and Highways England regarding road markings are made clear in the information provided on the East Sussex Highways web site.	Agreed. The ESH website team are currently reviewing the appropriate place to upload this information to the website.	Further information has been included on the relevant Utility Company FAQ on the website at www.eastsussexhighways.com
The Review Board recommends that when considering the allocation of resources for highway maintenance and road transport schemes, increased priority is given to funding for road markings to reflect their contribution to road safety.	Noted. As a highway authority our focus and top priority must be maintaining a safe road network for all users. Available funding and resources are allocated accordingly across the services to ensure we meet our policy requirements and maintain a safe network. This includes increasing road marking resources where necessary to ensure we continue to meet these requirements and allocating additional funding if appropriate.	Throughout service year five (May 2019-May 2020) two gangs delivered 2332 jobs, inclusive of both safety defects and refreshing markings across the County. For the next service year there will be one gang, which will focus on critical road markings and safety defects.
The Review Board recommends that the parking budget is recharged for all parking enforcement road marking renewal work with immediate effect, and the money used for additional highway road marking maintenance work.	Noted.  The spend on refreshing parking enforcement road markings is relatively small, but where this can be easily identified it will be re-charged to the parking account. The cost of large scale replacement of lines relating to parking enforcement following resurfacing are charged to the resurfacing (capital) scheme budget.	No significant parking work has been delivered which has required us to recharge back to the parking team.
The Review Board recommends that: a) should any new Government funding become available for highway maintenance, consideration is given to using a portion of it to improve the condition of road markings in the County (if allowed by the conditions attached to the funding). b) priority is given to renewing road markings that are important for road safety, such as those listed in paragraph 19 of the report, when determining the use of the additional one-off funding in 2020/21. c) consideration is given to including the funding to improve and maintain road marking in the base budget for the core services in the Highways Infrastructure Maintenance contract from 2023 onwards when it is re-procured.	a) Noted. If any new government funding is made available, consideration will be given to using a portion for road markings. (if permitted) b) Noted. This is our current approach as safety critical markings are always a priority. c) Noted. Road marking is already included as a core service and consideration will be given as part of the reprocurement of the highways contract to the level of service that can be provided in new contract.	A) No government funding has been made available that would be suitable for road marking schemes, but the team continue to monitor for any available funding in the future. B) No further action required C) No further action required