DIAGRAMMATIC GUIDE SIGNS FOR USE ON CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS: VOLUME III. TRAFFIC ENGINEERING EVALUATION OF DIAGRAMMATIC GUIDE SIGNS: PART 3. SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSIONS

THE PURPOSE OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC SIGNING RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP WARRANTS AND STANDARDS FOR THE USE OF DIAGRAMMATIC GUIDE SIGNS ON CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS. VOLUME III OF THIS REPORT IS PUBLISHED IN 4 BOUND BOOKS-1 BOOK FOR EACH OF ITS 3 PARTS, PLUS 1 BOOK CONTAINING APPENDIXES TO PART 2. PART 3 COMPARES THE I-495/I-70S FIELD STUDY WITH OTHER DIAGRAMMATIC SIGNING RESEARCH. SEVERAL FIELD MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES, LABORATORY METHODS AND TRAFFIC BEHAVIOR MODELS ARE EVALUATED FOR THEIR UTILITY IN SIGNING RESEARCH. THE VOLUME CONCLUDES WITH COST-BENEFIT CONSIDERATIONS OF DIAGRAMMATIC AND CONVENTIONAL SIGNING AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. RESEARCH FINDINGS OBTAINED UNDER THE PROJECT INDICATE THAT DRIVERS REQUIRE MORE TIME TO READ AND INTERPRET INFORMATION ON DIAGRAMMATIC SIGNS IN COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL SIGNS. MOREOVER, AS THE GRAPHIC COMPONENT ON THE SIGN BECOMES MORE COMPLEX, DRIVER INFORMATION INTERPRETATION TIME INCREASES. ACCORDINGLY, IN THOSE CASES WHERE DIAGRAMMATIC SIGNS HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED, THE STANDARDS SPECIFY THAT SIMPLE GRAPHIC DESIGNS MUST BE USED. RESEARCH RESULTS CLEARLY INDICATE THAT DIAGRAMMATIC GUIDE SIGNS WILL PRODUCE A BENEFIT TO MOTORIST PERFORMANCE AT INTERCHANGES WHERE TRAFFIC MUST EXIT TO THE LEFT OF THE THROUGH ROUTE. SUCH INTERCHANGES INCLUDE MAJOR FORKS WHERE EXITING TRAFFIC MUST TAKE THE LEFT FORK. ALSO INCLUDED ARE INTERCHANGES WHERE THERE IS A SINGLE LEFT EXIT FROM THE ROADWAY AND WHERE THERE IS A LEFT EXIT IN COMBINATION WITH A RIGHT EXIT. /FHWA/

• Corporate Authors:

  Biotechnology, Incorporated

  3027 Rosemary Lane
  Falls Church, VA  United States  22042
• Authors:
  • Kolsrud, G S
• Publication Date: 1972-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 137 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access control (Transportation); Diagrams; Driver performance; Drivers; Graphics; Guide signs; Information management; Information, data, and knowledge; Intersection elements; Left turns; Personnel performance; Signs; Silos
• Uncontrolled Terms: Access control
• Old TRIS Terms: Graphic methods
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225051
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-73- 26 Final Rept, FCP 31N2-784
• Contract Numbers: FH-11-7815
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 15 1976 12:00AM