SERVICE SIGNING AND MOTORIST'S CHOICE

RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE INFORMATION SIGNING ON THE RURAL INTERSTATE SYSTEM IN OHIO. MOTORIST USAGE WAS MEASURED DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY. VARIATIONS IN SERVICE FACILITY USAGE PATTERNS WERE TAKEN AS A DIRECT MEASURE OF MOTORIST USAGE. QUESTIONNAIRES, DISTRIBUTED AT EACH SERVICE FACILITY, WERE DESIGNED SO THAT MOTORIST USAGE COULD BE INFERRED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE MEASUREMENT OF VARIATIONS IN MOTORIST AWARENESS OF SERVICE AVAILABILITY. STUDY RESULTS ARE BASED ON A SERIES OF BEFORE AND AFTER ANALYSES OF DATA COLLECTED AT FIVE SIGNED INTERCHANGES AND FIVE UNSIGNED INTERCHANGES. SERVICE FACILITY USAGE WAS DEFINED AS THE PERCENT OF INTERSTATE EXIST RAMP USERS THAT ENTER A SERVICE FACILITY. MOTORIST AWARENESS WAS DEFINED AS THE PERCENT OF INTERSTATE USERS, STOPPING AT AN INTERCHANGE FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT STATING AN AWARENESS OF A PARTICULAR SERVICE FACILITY PRIOR TO LEAVING THE INTERSTATE. THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS WERE REACHED REGARDING THE EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE SIGNING: (1) THE AWARENESS OF THE INTERSTATE TRAVELLER TO THE EXISTENCE OF SPECIFIC SERVICE FACILITIES IS INCREASED THROUGH THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE SIGNING, (2) THE ADVANCE INFORMATION AFFORDED BY SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE SIGNING IS USED BY THE INTERSTATE TRAVELLER AS EVIDENCED BY THE INCREASE IN THE SERVICE FACILITY USAGE PERCENTAGE AT THE SIGNED INTERCHANGES, THE INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE IN THE TANKS OF THOSE INTERSTATE TRAVELLERS STOPPING AT UNFAMILIAR BUT SIGNED INTERCHANGES, AND THE INCREASE IN CREDIT CARD USAGE AT GASOLINE SERVICE FACILITIES AT SIGNED INTERCHANGES, (3) THE OVERALL DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICE FACILITY USERS BETWEEN BETTER-KNOWN AND LESSER-KNOWN FACILITIES IS NOT ALTERED BY THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICE SIGNING, AND (4) BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE SPOT SPEED ANALYSIS, THE BASIC SIGN DESIGN USED IN THIS STUDY IS ADEQUATE.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report No 1-14180, 58 PP, 6 FIG, 15 TAB, 3 REF, 3 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio Department of Highways

  Columbus, OH  United States  43210
• Authors:
  • Foody, T J
  • Taylor, W C
• Publication Date: 1968-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Before and after studies; Data analysis; Data collection; Information dissemination; Interchanges; Mathematical analysis; Motorist aid systems; Questionnaires; Rural highways; Spot speed; Traffic signs; User benefits
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Old TRIS Terms: Highway user services; Spot speed study
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225522
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 15 1994 12:00AM