A STUDY OF HIGHWAY LIGHTING: ASSESSMENT OF TARGET VISIBILITY IN A SCALE-MODEL SIMULATOR UNDER DIFFERENT LAYOUTS OF CONVENTIONAL FIXED LIGHTING

QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE OF THE VISIBILITY OF SAMPLE TARGET OBJECTS UNDER EACH OF FIVE LAYOUT ARRANGEMENTS OF FIXED HIGHWAY LUMINAIRES, WITH EACH OF TWO PAVEMENT SURFACES. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN A MODEL SIMULATION OF AN 8-LANE URBAN FREEWAY, CONSTRUCTED AT A SCALE OF 1:15. TARGETS INCLUDED A HUMAN FIGURE, AN UNLIGHTED VEHICLE, AND A WHITE LINE MARKER. LUMINAIRES RESEMBLED THE CONVENTIONAL TYPE III MEDIUM SEMI-CUTOFF VARIETY, AND WERE PLACED AT A 35-FOOT MOUNTING HEIGHT. PAVEMENT SURFACES RESEMBLED PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE AND BITUMINOUS CONCRETE. VISIBILITY WAS ASSESSED BY A COMBINATION OF PSYCHOPHYSICAL AND PHYSICAL MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES IN TERMS OF THE EFFECTIVE VISIBILITY LEVEL (VLEFF). VALUES OF VLEFF ARE PRESENTED FOR EACH TARGET UNDER EACH LUMINAIRE LAYOUT WITH EACH PAVEMENT MATERIAL. SEPARATE MEASUREMENTS ARE PRESENTED FOR EACH OF THE FOUR LANES OF EACH PAVEMENT MATERIAL, AT LOCATIONS SEPARATED BY 20-FOOT INTERVALS ALL ALONG THE ROADWAY. PROFILES OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ILLUMINATION ARE ALSO PRESENTED FOR EACH ROADWAY LANE UNDER EACH LIGHTING CONDITION. THE DATA ARE CONSIDERED USEFUL PRIMARILY IN ESTABLISHING THE USEFULNESS OF THE MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES FOR DIRECT FIELD ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING HIGHWAY LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS. THEY ALSO GIVE SOME IDEA AS TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH VISIBILITY DEPENDS UPON THE TARGET OBJECT, THE ROADWAY LOCATION, THE LUMINAIRE LAYOUT, AND THE PAVEMENT METERIAL. VISIBILITY ESTIMATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR TYPE III MEDIUM CUTOFF LUMINAIRES.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • OHIO-DOT-0 8-73
• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  Engineering Experiment Station, 2070 Neil Avenue
  Columbus, OH  United States  43210
• Authors:
  • Blackwell, O M
  • Blackwell, H R
• Publication Date: 1973-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 108 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Human beings; Layout; Luminaires; Mathematical models; Pavements; Scale models; Simulation; Street lighting; Surface course (Pavements); Texture; Tracking systems; Visibility
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Old TRIS Terms: Target detection
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219786
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rept
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 27 1974 12:00AM