Citation

Cottrell BH, Edara P. J. Transp. Eng. 2011; 137(11): 782-788.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Society of Civil Engineers)

DOI

10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000274

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Specific service (or logo) signs provide information on attractions, camping, lodging, food, and gas services on the mainline of limited-access highways in advance of the interchange that provides access to the services. At present, to ascertain the distance to a particular establishment, motorists depart from the mainline and read the distance on the logo signs on the ramps. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness or usefulness of adding distance information on mainline logo signs. A pilot study of adding distance information on mainline logo signs at three interchanges in Virginia was conducted. The Virginia Department of Transportation requested permission to experiment with these signs and the Federal Highway Administration granted the permission. The study examined legibility, motorist opinions, and crash history related to adding the distance information. The results of the study indicated that the legibility distance for the added information on the mainline logo signs was adequate in that it exceeded the rule of thumb of 4.8  m/cm (40  ft/in.) of letter height. Most legibility study participants found the distance information easy to read, although some found the information "cramped" on the signs. Most respondents to the motorist opinion survey found the signs "OK" or "easy to read" and the distance information useful. The presence of the distance information on the mainline logo signs did not affect the number of crashes at the sites used in the pilot study.

Language: en