VISUAL PERCEPTION OF THE ROADWAY AND ROADSIDE ELEMENTS BY THE OBSERVER IN MOTION. FINAL REPORT

This study surveyed the fields of environmental design, highway research, and environmental psychology and found no body of research, much less any measurements, on the relationships between the driver and the landscape (natural and human-made) beyond the paved area of the road. The finding is remarkable, given the fact that landscapes are often in the focal vision and always in peripheral vision of drivers. The complete lack of information is also remarkable because of the growing national public support for scenic by-ways and the increasing community demands for landscape design along roadsides. Importantly, this study finding is disconcerting, given the possibility that the driver's perception of roadside landscapes likely relates to safety. The study recommends a research strategy: 1) identify landscape variables, 2) determine the correlation between the landscape and safety, and 3) develop a knowledge base. Pilot studies should be conducted in areas (1) and (2), and the resulting knowledge base (3) should be tested in design applications. If the design applications merit continued study, then research should be conducted to produce a full knowledge base so that future landscape design can be better informed and therefore more cost effective.

• Record URL:
  http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/283.1.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Washington, Seattle

  Seattle, WA  United States  98195

  Washington State Department of Transportation

  Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Avenue SE, P.O. Box 47300
  Olympia, WA  United States  98504-7300

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Schauman, S
  • Heerwagen, J
  • Moudon, A V
  • Witherspoon, B
  • James, S
  • Mundee, J
• Publication Date: 1992-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 28 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Drivers; Environmental design; Highway safety; Landscape design; Perception; Research; Research management; Scenic highways
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver perception
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00626707
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: WA-RD 283.1
• Contract Numbers: T 9233, Task 15
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 1 1993 12:00AM