I am interested in the historical aspects of pavement markings. For example, when did yellow start being used as the color of a left edge line on a one-way roadway or ramp?
The 1971 edition was the first time a yellow left edge line appeared in the MUTCD. A yellow left edge line was recommended (Guidance) “on divided highways where medians are extremely narrow or where obstructions exist to restrict the area beyond the edge line from use as an emergency refuge.” In the 1978 edition, the use of the color yellow for all left edge lines became mandatory. For more information on this and other questions involving the history of pavement markings, the 2000 report entitled “Evolution of the U.S. Pavement Marking System” by Dr. H. Gene Hawkins is an excellent reference. The report may be viewed and downloaded at: http://tcd.tamu.edu/Documents/evolution.stand-alone.pdf.
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