The Fight for Safer Road Markings
Clear, visible road markings are one of the most basic elements of a safe transportation network. Drivers rely on them to stay in their lanes and navigate intersections, cyclists rely on them to identify designated cycling spaces, and pedestrians depend on clearly marked crossings. Increasingly, modern vehicles also rely on pavement markings for technologies such as lane-departure warnings, lane-keeping assistance, and other advanced driver-assistance systems.
But in Ottawa and communities across Canada, municipalities have been dealing with a growing problem: pavement markings that fade too quickly or become extremely difficult to see, particularly during rain, at night, and in other challenging conditions.
As a city councillor and Chair of Ottawa’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, I have made this issue a priority and have continued to push for solutions that improve visibility, durability, and safety on our roads.
Why Are Our Road Markings Disappearing?
The challenge involves finding pavement-marking products that can meet environmental requirements while also standing up to the demanding conditions of Canadian roads.
Changes to federal regulations governing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in paints have been intended to reduce harmful emissions and protect the environment. Those are important objectives. However, municipalities have also had to contend with the practical performance of compliant road-marking products in real-world conditions.
Ottawa’s roads face an especially difficult environment. Pavement markings must withstand snow, ice, salt, freezing and thawing, snowplows, heavy traffic, summer heat, and significant amounts of rain. When markings deteriorate prematurely, municipalities may need to repaint them more frequently, increasing costs, creating additional traffic disruptions, and putting painting equipment back on the road.
The problem becomes particularly noticeable during wet weather. Residents have raised concerns about lane markings becoming extremely difficult to distinguish when roads are wet, including on major routes such as Highway 174.
This is not simply a question of appearance or convenience. Road markings are an important component of the transportation safety system.
A Road Safety Issue
When drivers cannot clearly see where one lane ends and another begins, navigating the road becomes more difficult. That can be especially concerning at night, during heavy rain, at complicated intersections, on multi-lane roads, and in construction areas.
The issue also extends beyond human vision. Newer vehicles increasingly use cameras and sensors to identify pavement markings as part of advanced driver-assistance systems. Lane-departure warnings and lane-keeping technologies, for example, can depend on sufficiently clear markings to properly identify a vehicle’s position on the roadway.
That is why I have consistently argued that pavement markings should be treated as a road-safety issue, not simply a seasonal maintenance issue.
Finding a Better Solution
There should not have to be a choice between protecting the environment and keeping our roads safe.
I have been working with municipal colleagues, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), industry representatives, and pavement-marking manufacturers, including 3M, to explore products and policies that can provide better visibility and durability while continuing to meet environmental objectives.
This is also not an issue unique to Ottawa. Municipalities across Ontario and Canada face similar weather, maintenance, cost, and regulatory challenges. That makes collaboration between municipalities, other levels of government, industry, and road-safety experts particularly important.
Over the past year, I have continued raising the issue through committee discussions, opinion pieces, media interviews, conversations with municipal leaders, and broader advocacy. What began as concerns about disappearing lines on Ottawa streets has grown into a much larger conversation about how municipalities can provide road markings that are safe, durable, affordable, and environmentally responsible.
Below is a timeline of that advocacy and the growing public discussion surrounding pavement markings.
Timeline: The Fight for Safer Road Markings
May 8, 2025 — Raising the Issue Publicly
Tierney: Can’t see any lines on the road when you drive? It’s an increasing hazard
MEDIA: Ottawa Citizen
In an Ottawa Citizen opinion piece, I brought attention to the deteriorating visibility of pavement markings and the safety concerns being raised by residents and road users. I argued that disappearing road markings needed to be treated as more than a cosmetic maintenance problem and called for a better balance between environmental requirements and road safety.
Read the Ottawa Citizen article
May 10, 2025 — Taking the Conversation to CFRA
Fading roadway lines create grey hairs for residents and councillors
MEDIA: 580 CFRA — CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent
The discussion continued on CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent, where we talked about what residents were seeing on Ottawa roads and why rapidly fading markings were becoming an increasing concern.
May 12, 2025 — Concern Spreads Beyond Ottawa
Disappearing road markings in Ottawa: Councillor raises concerns about paint for road lanes, intersections
MEDIA: CTV
CTV reported on the concerns surrounding disappearing road markings, bringing greater attention to the challenges municipalities face in maintaining clear and visible lines.
May 12, 2025 — CFRA’s The Morning Rush
Tim talks with Bill Carroll about fading road-line paint
MEDIA: CFRA — The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll
TIME: 54:10
I joined Bill Carroll to discuss why pavement markings were fading and the broader safety and maintenance questions surrounding the issue.
May 13, 2025 — CTV Ottawa
Fading road paint raises concerns in Ottawa
MEDIA: CTV Ottawa
CTV Ottawa examined the visibility of road markings and the concerns being raised about their performance on local streets.
June 7, 2025 — The Issue Reaches a National Audience
Road lines fading faster after environmental rule, say local politicians — raising costs and safety concerns
MEDIA: The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail examined the issue from a national perspective, looking at concerns from local politicians about road-line durability, environmental regulations, municipal costs, and road safety.
The national attention reinforced an important point: this was not simply an Ottawa problem. Municipalities elsewhere were confronting many of the same challenges.
Read The Globe and Mail article
June 9, 2025 — “Something That Affects Every Municipality Across the Country”
MEDIA: Newstalk 1010 — Moore in the Morning with John Moore
I joined John Moore to discuss why the pavement-marking problem extends far beyond Ottawa and why municipalities across Canada have an interest in finding a better solution.
September 17, 2025 — What Ottawa Is Doing
Here is what the City of Ottawa is doing to address fading paint for road lanes, intersections
MEDIA: CTV Ottawa
As public attention continued, the conversation increasingly turned toward solutions and what the City of Ottawa could do to improve pavement-marking performance.
November 28, 2025 — The Cost of Keeping Lines Visible
Between the lines: Ottawa’s budget puts the squeeze on keeping painted road lines in good shape
MEDIA: Capital Current
The discussion also became a budget issue. If pavement markings need to be refreshed more frequently, municipalities have to consider not only safety and durability but also staffing, equipment, traffic impacts, and the financial cost of maintaining thousands of kilometres of roadway.
Read the Capital Current article
December 16, 2025 — Safety and Cost Questions Continue
The 25th Hour: Disappearing ink raises safety, cost questions
MEDIA: Capital Current
By the end of 2025, disappearing pavement markings continued to generate questions about both public safety and the financial consequences of repeatedly repainting lines that do not provide the durability municipalities need.
Read the Capital Current article
April 14, 2026 — Repainting Season Begins Again
Here’s when the City of Ottawa will begin repainting fading road lines, intersections
MEDIA: CTV Ottawa
As another spring repainting season arrived, the issue returned to the forefront. Ottawa once again faced the task of restoring pavement markings following winter, reinforcing the need to look beyond annual repainting and continue pursuing longer-lasting solutions.
June 2026 — Bringing the Conversation to the National Municipal Level
New FCM president prioritizes cross-country engagement push
MEDIA: Municipal World
The broader discussion about municipal priorities and cross-country collaboration provides another opportunity to ensure that issues affecting municipalities collectively — including road infrastructure and safety — receive attention beyond individual city boundaries.
Read the Municipal World article
The Work Continues
What started with residents asking a straightforward question — “Why can’t I see the lines on the road?” — has developed into a much broader discussion about road safety, municipal infrastructure, environmental regulation, technology, and the realities of maintaining roads in a Canadian climate.
There is no reason environmental responsibility and road safety should be competing objectives. The goal must be to find pavement-marking solutions that meet environmental standards while providing the visibility and durability that residents, municipalities, and modern transportation systems require.
I will continue working with City staff, municipal partners, other levels of government, industry, and organizations representing municipalities to push for practical solutions.
Road markings may seem like a small piece of our transportation network, but when they disappear, their importance becomes immediately obvious.
Our roads need to be safe in sunshine, darkness, snow and rain — and the lines that guide people home need to be there when they need them most.