Red line

I have met several representatives of our industry who, at least during the summer months, leave their car in the garage and cycle from home to work and back. This is quite convenient in two respects: they get past the traffic jam fully relaxed while at the same time integrating physical exercise into their busy daily routine.

There is one issue, however, that terrifies everyone in equal measure: unfortunately, many city centers in Germany are in extremely bad shape where the safety of cyclists is concerned. There is frequently a lack of cycling infrastructure, and the cyclists have to share the road with car traffic. They consider themselves lucky if a line separates the narrow bicycle path from the road, signaling to the much stronger passenger cars: “thus far and no further.” Paths colored entirely in red provide better visibility, of course, and paths paved in red and separated from the passing traffic not only in visual terms but also, for example, by islands are most certainly the ultimate solution – and a sphere of activity for the manufacturers of concrete products, should the state and local governments ever decide to invest again.

This issue of your BFT International magazine deals with concrete and color and the different potential applications of pigments (see page 24-46). One article highlights the color marking of different roadway sections described above. Other articles address the causes of color differences in concrete products, the highly precise metering of extremely small amounts of pigments, and the search for and discovery of color trends. The editorial team hopes you will enjoy reading this issue of the BFT International magazine.