Developing Luminance-Based Mobile Highway Delineation Equipment and Level of Service Guidelines for Safe Nighttime High-Speed Travel
Author(s):
P.J. Carlson, J.D. Miles, H. Ge, Y. Zhang
Publication Date:
May 2013
Abstract:
No matter how well a roadway system is designed for the intended traffic, that system is only as effective as the traffic control devices (TCDs) are at clearly delineating the drive path as it was intended in the original design. Once these devices are in place on a new or reconstructed roadway, transportation agencies must assess when TCDs are no longer visible to drivers and no longer providing adequate guidance for drivers to safely navigate the roadway network. Transportation agencies routinely travel their extensive roadway networks conducting subjective roadway assessments of TCDs both day and night. A federal requirement, retroreflectivity is a good tool for product testing but can provide false positives for TCDs based on the approach geometry, such as when a sign becomes twisted. This research project developed an objective nighttime assessment method for TCDs using TCD presence and luminance that could be tied back to a form of level of service.
Report Number:
0-6647-S
Electronic Link(s):
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