millband

Just reading this article about "Englishness" on the BBC, and one of the the "icons" of England are "Cats' eyes on roads" according to the architect, Will Alsop.

I can't remember seeing cat's eyes in use anywhere else - does anyone else in the world use them? If not, why not 'cos I think they're a fantastic aid at night.

Steve

Flatcapdriver

Oz and South Africa certainly use them in the centre of the road.

wez_sti

didnt the guy who invented them who also had the patent refuse to allow other countries to use them??

maybe common wealth countries were...????

Brendan Hughes

I've said this before, I think they should be compulsory throughout the EU (frankly why not the developed world). A brilliant () invention. The only things we have in Portugal are large wide chunks of metal, not spring loaded, across the road in front of zebra crossings, with electric lights inside them. Horrible, they rip your tyres to pieces.

SWRTWannabe

When I was in Canada I remarked that they would make the road markings clearer in the rain, but then it was pointed out that the huge snowploughs that clear several lanes at once would just gouge them out again!

millband

ouch!

millband

Agree completely, I can't understand why you don't see them on the continent - that's why I asked really.

Billbill

Those would be "Bott's Dots." Somebody named Botts was the inventor.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

IIRC, he refused the patent to the French as he hated them Dunno abt any other countries.

I certainly miss them when driving dark roads with little traffic in France. Although the French and others are now starting with the reflectors that are also in use here, rather than actual cats' eyes.

I suppose we could say that the development of rally lighting, Cibie etc and the halogen bulb, came about because the French had no cats' eyes, (and daft YELLOW lights), so needed a powerful lighting system.......

Alcazar

Leslie

The inventor, whose name I have forgotten, ran a scrap yard somewhere and it made him into a millionaire.

Les