Is there a set standard on lane striping

[roadman65]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53526558652_7b6ff5fcbc_k.jpg



Was noticing the way Oregon spaces the two yellow lines along a portion of US 101. It seems wider than the rest.

Doesn't the MUTCD dictate the spacing?

[freebrickproductions]

I've seen Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas space their double yellows like that as well. IMHO, it makes a bit more sense when you see it transition like this followed by this, as it keeps the solid and broken yellow lines (and cats-eyes) in a consistent position. I do prefer the thinner (more standard?) spacing states like Alabama uses on the double-yellow lines though.

[Big John]

That example allows for the depressed reflector without the paint interfering with it.

[1995hoo]

I remember in the late 1970s, a portion of NC-12 on Hatteras Island had a double yellow line with a broken yellow line in between. It was pretty clear that at one time there had been a two-way passing zone and that when they decided to prohibit passing, rather than removing the old striping or simply painting over it, they painted one solid line on each side of the existing lines.

I don't have any photos, of course. That was the film camera era, and I would have been riding in the back seat anyway.

[michravera]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53526558652_7b6ff5fcbc_k.jpg



Was noticing the way Oregon spaces the two yellow lines along a portion of US 101. It seems wider than the rest.

Doesn't the MUTCD dictate the spacing?

I don't know about Oregon, but, in California, if the solid lines are 12" or more apart, it becomes a median and therefore, not only no passing zone, but also a "no crossing even to exit" zone.

[Rothman]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53526558652_7b6ff5fcbc_k.jpg



Was noticing the way Oregon spaces the two yellow lines along a portion of US 101. It seems wider than the rest.

Doesn't the MUTCD dictate the spacing?

I don't know about Oregon, but, in California, if the solid lines are 12" or more apart, it becomes a median and therefore, not only no passing zone, but also a "no crossing even to exit" zone.

*stops car and measures gap with ruler*

Huh.  Guess I can't cross here.

*angry honking behind him*

[Revive 755]

The 11th Edition of the MUTCD has the following:

To be recognized as a double line rather than two separate, disassociated single lines, the discernible space separating the parallel lines of a double line should not exceed two times the line width of a single line.

The 2009 MUTCD only had a requirement for a "discernible space" (3A.06 Paragraph 02 Item C).

The exact spacing seems to vary by state, and sometimes by the district in the state.

[paulthemapguy]

Striping standards usually abide by state standards as the most critical governing doctrine. That's the way it works in Illinois and the USA, anyway.  I have almost exclusively fallen back on IDOT standards (especially standard drawings) when enforcing striping contracts at work.

This is the latest compilation of all of IDOT's systemwide standard drawings; skip to page 346 for pavement markings and to page 349 for reflectors: https://public.powerdms.com/IDOT/documents/2677373
Obviously this won't apply to the state where the original photo was taken, but this is an example of how guidelines might be organized or enforced. And like Revive755 said above, these systemwide standards are further complicated by subdivisions of a state (districts) who want to do their own thing.

[epzik8]

I think I've seen the "Oregon way" in a few construction zones in Maryland and Pennsylvania, i.e. not in normal circumstances.