REMA Cuts the Confusion over Road Stud Compliance

12 August 2003 - REMA, the trade association for manufacturers of retroreflective traffic safety products that are used mainly on the highway, is helping to unravel the confusion over compliance, following the introduction of the new European Standards for road studs (EN 1463-1 and EN 1463-2). REMA has published on its website - www.rema.org.uk - a list of retroreflecting road studs that comply with the new Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSR&GD).

“This will allow highway authorities, road contractors and stud applicators easy access to details of compliant road studs that are supplied by the different manufacturers,” comments Mike Mason, chairman of REMA. The listing also shows the performance classes achieved by each stud and fills the gap left since the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency ceased to provide highways engineers with details of ‘Type Approved’ reflecting road studs.

In the previous TSR&GD road studs were laboratory tested and road trialled against a British Standard and depending on the results, the Department of Transport issued a ‘Type Approval’ certificate for each type of road stud produced by the various manufacturers.

With the new European Standards and the consequent withdrawal of the old British Standard, the old type approval system and certification ceased. However, the Department of Transport still required a system that would allow only road studs that met equivalent performance levels to be used on public roads. This has been achieved by including specified classes of performance, from the new European Standards, in the new TSR&GD. Any retroreflecting road stud that does not comply with the specified classes cannot be legally used on any public road in the UK.

This means that manufacturers no longer produce the simple type approval certificate, but provide test certificates showing performance classes - a change that makes it much more difficult for highway authority specifiers who may not have detailed knowledge of the European Standards, to easily determine whether a stud complies.

REMA has taken action to publish a straight-forward listing on its website to help the industry meet the new legal requirements for road studs.

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Editor’s Notes:

ø The TSR&GD lays down the legal requirements for road signs, road markings and road studs used on public roads in the United Kingdom.

ø For many years there has been a statutory requirement for road studs to meet a certain level of performance before being allowed for use on public roads.

ø All the UK manufacturers who currently have road studs complying with the new performance classes in the TSR&GD are members of REMA (Retroreflective Equipment Manufacturers Association). All REMA members are required by the constitution to manufacture and supply products that conform fully to the latest standards, regulations and legislation.

ø REMA has been established for nearly 30 years and is recognised by official bodies as the representative organisation for a wide range of retroreflective products.

Editorial contact for more information:

Rosemary Vaux at

Ravenstone Public Relations Limited,

8 The Causeway,

Teddington,

Middx TW11 OHE

tel 020 8943 5343

fax 0870 164 0949

e-mail: rvaux@ravenstone-pr.demon.co.uk