VISUAL QUALITY FOR THE HIGHWAY USER: A STUDY OF THE RELATION OF FACTORS OF VISUAL QUALITY TO ROUTE DESIGN

THIS PAPER, THE PRODUCT OF A 4-YEAR STUDY, DEFINES AND ILLUSTRATES HOW VISUAL AND AESTHETIC VALUES FOR THE HIGHWAY USER CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HIGHWAY ENVIRONMENT ARE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND IN TERMS OF THEIR FUNCTIONAL USE TO THE DRIVER. IN THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS DEVELOPED HERE, ALL INFORMATION IS ORGANIZED AS SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE STANDARD PHASES OF WORK IN HIGHWAY PLANNING AND DESIGN. GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA THAT ARE APPLICABLE DURING DESIGN ARE SUPPLIED, AND THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR IMPLEMENTATION ARE DESCRIBED. THE PAPER PRESENTS A COMPILATION OF MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF A CASE STUDY AND A STEP-BY-STEP MANUAL THAT ILLUSTRATES HOW QUALITY VALUES FOR IMPROVED DRIVER PERFORMANCE MAY BE OBTAINED IN HIGHWAY PLANNING AND DESIGN. THOUGH MANY OF THE GUIDELINES WOULD BE USEFUL, THIS WORK IS PRIMARILY APPLICABLE TO RURAL HIGHWAYS AND NOT TO URBAN OR HIGHLY DEVELOPED AREAS. IT SHOULD BE MOST APPLICABLE IN RIGHT-OF-WAY DESIGN WORK BECAUSE MANY OF THE FACTORS DESCRIBED ARE UTILIZED THEN. THE INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN FIELD TESTED. THIS IS A REPEATABLE PROCESS. THE GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA ARE DEFINITIVE AND LEAD TO SPECIFIC DECISIONS; THEY DO NOT EXCLUDE GOOD DESIGN JUDGMENTS FOR MANY CHOICES AND TRADEOFFS. THE PROCESS PROVIDES THE HIGHWAY PLANNER A FRAMEWORK THAT CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BACKGROUNDS AND SKILLS OF DESIGN TEAMS IN THE FIELD.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1972/410/410-005.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309020824
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by Committee on Social, Economic and Environmental Factors of Transportation. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Hornbeck, P L
  • Okerlund, Garland A
• Conference:
  • 51st Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1972-1-17 to 1972-1-21
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 52-63
• Monograph Title: Use of economic, social and environmental indicators in transportation planning
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 410
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Driver performance; Drivers; Highway design; Personnel performance; Rural highways
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00205224
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309020824
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 7 1973 12:00AM