Our Cat eye consisted of two pairs of retro reflectors set into a white rubber dome, mounted in a cast iron housing. This is the kind that marks the center of the road, with one pair of cat’s eyes showing in each direction. A single-ended form has become widely used in other colors at road margins and as lane dividers. Cat’s eyes are particularly valuable in fog and are largely resistant to damage from snow ploughs.
A key feature of the cat’s eye is the flexible rubber dome which is occasionally deformed by the passage of traffic. A fixed rubber wiper cleans the surface of the reflectors as they sink below the surface of the road (the base tends to hold water after a shower of rain, making this process even more efficient). The rubber dome is protected from impact damage by metal which also give tactile and audible feedback for wandering drivers.
