SIGNING TREATMENTS FOR INTERCHANGE LANE DROPS

Drivers often experience difficulty when freeway lanes are not continued beyond an interchange. Interchange land-drops represent situations that drivers do not expect and for which they are unprepared. The problem was studied to aid the driver's task by developing effective signing treatments. Devices in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) were found to be not entirely satisfactory because of questions about their applicability, latitutde in their application, and suitability for their intended purpose. Data from surveys, a state-of-the- art review, observations of as-built installations, and laboratory evaluations were used within the framework of a human factors analysis to assess MUTCD standards and recommend changes. Driver expectancy provided the basis for problem identification and solution development. Configurations were categorized by geometric and route attributes into eight types of exists and splits. Their concomitant expectancy violations were identified, and their effect on unfamiliar drivers was assessed. Each type violated the expectancy that all lanes will continue. Additional differing geometric and route expectancy violations precluded the use of a single signing treatment for all types. The black-on-yellow EXIT ONLY treatment was recommended for exit lane drops with route continuity. Diagrammatic treatments were recommended when the off-route was to the left of the through-route. Empirical evaluations demonstrated the effectiveness of the recommendations. /Author/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/600/600-001.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=SIGNING+TREATMENTS+FOR+INTERCHANGE+LANE+DROPS&author=H.+Lunenfeld&author=G.+Alexander&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • A Final Report of this project performed FHWA, FHWA/TO- 76/01, is available from NTIS, PB-255895/5ST. Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Motorist Information Systems. 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:
  • Lunenfeld, Harold
  • Alexander, Gerson J
• Conference:
  • 55th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1976-1-19 to 1976-1-23
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-6
• Monograph Title: Motorist information systems and services
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 600
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Drivers; Freeways; Human factors; Interchange ramps; Interchanges; Interchanges and intersections; Lane drops; Traffic control; Traffic signs
• Old TRIS Terms: Freeway driver; Freeway entrances and exits; Freeway signs
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00156288
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309025699
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 19 1977 12:00AM