SOME PRINCIPLES OF FREEWAY DIRECTIONAL SIGNING BASED ON MOTORISTS' EXPERIENCE

RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED ON FREEWAY DIRECTIONAL SIGNING TO: (1) DETERMINE THE SIGNING AND MARKING AIDS SOUGHT BY MOTORISTS IN THE USE OF FREEWAYS, PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS, AND (2) DETERMINE HOW WELL EXISTING STANDARDS AND PRACTICES PROVIDE THESE AIDS AND WHAT CHANGES COULD BE REASONABLY MADE IN EXISTING PRACTICES TO PROVIDE THE AIDS SOUGHT BY MOTORISTS. DATA WERE COLLECTED IN SAN LUIS OBISPO, SACRAMENTO, FRESNO AND LOS ANGELES. INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED BY ANALYZING SIGNING LOCATIONS AND BY INTERVIEWING DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES ON THE FREEWAY SYSTEM. ROADSIDE INTERVIEWS AND OFF-THE-ROAD EXTENDED INTERVIEWS WERE USED. FIELD TRIPS WERE MADE TO ANALYZE THE SIGNING SITUATIONS MENTIONED IN THE INTERVIEWS. THREE PILOT SURVEYS AND TWO MAJOR STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED, INVOLVING NEARLY 12,000 MOTORISTS AND NUMEROUS SIGNING LOCATIONS. THE STUDY FINDINGS SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE OF CERTAIN BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DIRECTIONAL SIGNING WHICH WILL HELP MAKE SIGNING MESSAGES OF MAXIMUM VALUE TO MOTORISTS. MOST OF THE SIGNING DEFICIENCIES OBSERVED WOULD BE CORRECTED IF THE SIGNS IN THE FIELD WERE CHANGED TO COMFORM TO THE PRESENT DESIGN PRACTICE OF THE CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS. THE USERS WERE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF THE TYPE OF TRIP MADE. THE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRIPS ARE: (1) GENERAL TOURING,(2) METROPOLITAN AREA MOVEMENT, AND (3) URBAN DRIVING. THE SIX BASIC PRINCIPLES OFFERED AS A GUIDE TO BE USED IN THE DESIGN, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF DIRECTIONAL SIGNS ARE: (1) INTERPRETATION, (2) CONTINUITY, (3) ADVANCE NOTICE, (4) RELATABILITY, (5) PROMINENCE, AND (6) UNUSUAL MANEUVERS. THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF ALL SIGNS ARE THAT MESSAGES MUST BE COMPLETE AND CLEARLY STATED.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/244/244-004.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 244, pp 30-87, 18 FIG, 41 TAB 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:
  • Schoppert, David W
  • Moskowitz, Karl
  • Hulburt, Slade F
  • Burg, Albert
• Publication Date: 1960

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 58p
• Monograph Title: Effects of traffic control devices
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 244
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Building; Data collection; Direction signs; Drivers; Facilities; Freeways; Installation; Interviewing; Maintenance; Road markings; Signs; Standards; Traffic signs; Urban areas
• Old TRIS Terms: Directional sign; Freeway signs; Traffic marking
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225366
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 12 1994 12:00AM