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The post-war economic boom of the 1950s led to a dramatic increase in the number of cars (and accidents) on California’s roads, which in turn led to the development of the Botts Point design, which is only now beginning to fall into disuse.

Developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), these dots are sometimes called “turtles” in the Pacific Northwest and “buttons” in Texas. The dots are designed to address lane visibility issues, especially in rainy weather, and to alert drivers to road conditions (similar to rumble strips on the side of the road).

When the first dot signs appeared on the streets, there were serious problems: the signs were made of glass and nailed to the ground, and sometimes they fell over, exposing the nails and puncturing tires. A special epoxy resin invented by Botts’ team solves this problem, making it easier and safer to install dot signs along highways and motorways.

In 1966, the California legislature mandated the use of dots in all snow-free areas. Today, there are more than 25,000,000 dots throughout the state, interspersed with raised reflective road markings. Some dots are placed on the paint line, while others replace the paint entirely. For a long time, dots were placed manually along busy areas, but safer automated solutions have been developed (see video below).

Meanwhile, Botts’ dots have migrated to other states with less snowfall (where they not only disappear under the snow, but are also easily cleared by snowplows). In snowy states, raised reflective markings are sometimes placed in the grooves to discourage vandalism. Over time, other countries have adopted the dots.

But now the Botts dot matrix is ​​under threat of being eliminated, at least in California. Critics say the ceramic buttons are poorly reflective, don’t last long, and could cause problems for self-driving cars.

The dots may still exist in some cities, but are gradually being removed from state highways, which are heavily used and require frequent replacement (originally every ten years, but now every six months).

The dots will still be replaced by more advanced textured reflective technology, and the hum effect will still be present, although it won’t be as frequent or noticeable – drivers will still hear the thump twice a second when passing through the next-generation lane dividers at 60mph.

A few years ago, while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, I saw some very bright reflectors set into the road. They were so bright that I wasn’t sure if they were actually reflective or solar powered. But trust me, in the winter, you need to know where the trail is or you’ll fall off a very steep cliff.

In Ireland and the UK, the reflectors on the roads are designed quite cleverly: they are recessed into the road surface in such a way that if a car drives over them, they are pressed into the recess, thus clearing the reflector. We call them “cat’s eyes”, and my father says that whoever designed them saw the shadow of a dead cat on the road

It wasn’t until the 1980s that France began using dots to mark pedestrian crossings, which were called “nail crossings” (passages cloutés), because the dots resembled nail heads. The nail tunnel was apparently invented by the Swiss in 1932…

The design of the pedestrian crossing is interesting and has a long history (Pompeii overpasses…). Maybe there is a story about the placebo button on the pedestrian crossing that requests a red light: who came up with that?

Best reflective technology? From what I’ve seen in California, this includes reflective paint (which we all know wears off quickly too). It seems like California is using cost to hide safety, when in fact there is no agreed upon alternative to Botts Points!

I’ve seen places where regular paint on a driveway has replaced resurfacing, especially along Lake Elizabeth Road outside of Palmdale in northwest Los Angeles County. Ironically, where the reflective dots were removed were signs warning of curves and icy conditions. Apparently, the people who maintain these roads – Caltrans? – didn’t realize that parts of the Antelope Valley and surrounding communities would actually get snow!

As far as I can tell, *slightly* reflective paint has replaced Botts dots. This is a problem, especially in rural areas where city lighting is scarce: reflective dots are more visible on the hood of a car than on its paint. Also, the fact that the dots extend beyond the highway helps warn drivers crossing the line. This is especially important in areas where the highway only has two lanes and there are no guardrails (medians) to prevent cars from crossing into the opposite lane (as mentioned above).

Recommendation: Before removing Botts glasses entirely, the state should at least agree on what “technology” should be used to replace them. Arbitrary application of what is or is not reflective without knowledge of local weather conditions is a problem.

I agree. Unmarked roads are harder to see at dusk. The only reflective paint that provides acceptable visibility is new asphalt pavement. But they don’t last long, don’t reflect headlights well, and are hard to see in the rain. Things get worse when CalDOT removes dots and remarks lanes. They didn’t clean up the old markings properly, leaving multiple lines in different directions. They’re doing drivers a disservice by trying to save money in an unjustified way.