Having a hard time seeing the lines on the road? You aren’t alone. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is lobbying for changes to a rule from the federal government that has resulted in road lines that wear out after just a few months.
The edict, which first came from the federal government in 2012, and was updated by the Minister of “Environment and Climate Change” in 2023, pronounced that chemicals in the paint called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) had to be significantly reduced. They made this decision because VOCs contribute to smog. Smog can irritate eyes and throats.
But decreasing the VOCs meant that the paints simply don’t work like they used to. “It doesn’t stick as well, it’s not as reflective, and you can only paint in certain temperatures,” explained Tim Tierney, the chair of the city of Ottawa’s Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. And as Clark Somerville, councillor for the Town of Halton Hills explained to the Globe and Mail:
“As the road painting is disappearing quicker, we are now spending taxpayers’ dollars to go out and repaint the roads more than what we had to before,”
But it isn’t just a matter of money. The current rules “create a dangerous, dangerous situation – not only for drivers, but pedestrians in intersections” noted Tierney.
In 2012, the year that the change took effect in Canada, the BC trucking industry saw a spike in complaints about line visibility. ”Drivers reported more difficulty finding roadway centre and edge markings — not a great situation for a loaded semi weighing up to 35,000 kilos,” explained John Ducker, writing for the Victoria Times Colonist. He also noted that the faded lines became the top complaint from motorists in the province.
So why is this being covered in Reformed Perspective? Because it is another example of how everything is fundamentally a worldview issue. God entrusted the civil government with the duty of restraining lawlessness and promoting good order (Belgic Confession, Article 36). Keeping lines on the road keeps vehicles on the road and protects human life. But our federal government doesn’t have any objective standards for what constitutes justice and good order. Reducing smog, even in the majority of the country where smog isn’t an issue, trumps safety on the road.
In many ways, the faded lines are an apt symbol of the faded Christian norms that this country isn’t interested in reviving, even to our own harm.
