SOME EFFECTS OF LATERAL SIGN DISPLACEMENT

THE EFFECT OF INCREASING THE LATERAL OFFSET OF HIGHWAY SIGNS ON THE LEGIBILITY OF THESE SIGNS WAS ANALYZED. AN APPROACH BASED ON HIGHWAY GEOMETRICS AND HUMAN VISION WAS EMPLOYED. HIGHWAY CURVES AS WELL AS TANGENT SECTIONS WERE ANALYZED. IT WAS FOUND THAT LARGER LETTER SIZES WERE INDICATED WITH INCREASED OFFSET DISTANCES AND THAT CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF HORIZONTAL CURVATURE AND OFFSET WOULD RESULT IN THE SIGN FALLING ENTIRELY OUTSIDE THE NORMAL FIELD OF VISION. THE EFFECT OF THE LATERAL OFFSET ON NIGHT LEGIBILITY OF SIGNS, WHEN THE SIGNS ARE ILLUMINATED BY HEADLIGHT ONLY, WAS ALSO INVESTIGATED. A COMPUTER PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE FIVE PERTINENT VARIABLES: DEGREE OF CURVATURE, APPROACH SPEED, MAXIMUM DIVERGENCE ANGLE, MESSAGE CONTENT, AND LETTER SIZE. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Traffic Control Devices and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting.
• Authors:
  • Gordon, D A
  • Williston, R M
  • King, George F
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 15-29
• Monograph Title: Traffic signals and signs
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 325
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer programs; Design; Geometry; Highways; Lateral placement; Legibility; Night visibility; Night vision; Traffic signs; Vision
• Old TRIS Terms: Traffic sign design
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225904
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 12 1971 12:00AM