Question:
Me and my friends were wondering if it is illegal to repaint faded road lines in SA…our roads are worsening, and I and my friends want to buy some white paint, and repaint the faded lines on our roads and refill some potholes while we’re at it…Is this illegal? Because we just want to make SA a better place for everyone. I’m not talking about painting our own lines that didn’t exist on the road in the first place, I’m talking about repainting existing lines that have faded. Thank you for your time!
Answer:
I believe it is an excellent initiative, but there are some liability issues.
The painting of road signs is the responsibility of the Roads Authority. That would be SANRAL for national roads, Provincial Roads Department for provincial roads and Municipality for local roads.
Some of the road signs are regulatory signs and have very specific measurements, colour requirements,, etc. The paint must also comply with certain reflective requirements to be visible at night and in rainy conditions.
Roads markings have a legal significance that need to be adhered to. If you divert traffic to paint the signs there are also some legal issues that may result in liability
I suggest you contact the relevant road authority where you want to assist and first discuss the options with them to see how you can assist while not incurring liability.
Regards/Groete
Alta
Alta Swanepoel and Associates CC