01126981

Component

A pilot study was conducted to determine which characteristics of road signs (shape, color, or symbol/wording) best conveyed meaning to the road user. A survey of 88 signs (some official, some invented) was administered to 46 students from undergraduate humanities courses at the University of Central Florida. For each sign, participants were asked the meaning of the sign, the place where they felt the sign would be located, and whether or not the sign was real. Responses were open-ended and participants were given time for reflection before answering each question. Two subsets of the 88 signs were examined for this paper: the crosswalk signs (including school and pedestrian signs) and the “singular shape” signs – those signs for which the shape dictates the color and wording. Survey participants readily identified the crosswalk signs as warning of pedestrian traffic; however, only 44% of respondents specifically mentioned “children” or “school” when describing the school sign. The school symbol was found to convey the “school” meaning better than the sign shape or color. For the “singular shape” signs, the wording on the sign was found to override the meaning imparted by the shape or color of the sign. For the Stop, Yield, One Way, and Highway-Rail Grade Crossing signs, blank signs were as effective at conveying meaning as the official signs; however, for the Do Not Enter sign, a blank sign did not convey meaning as effectively as the official sign.

01120148

09-1089

English

15p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (6) ; References (13) ; Tables (3)

Operations; Perception; Symbol signs; Traffic control devices; Traffic signs; Traffic signs by characteristics; Travel surveys; Travelers; Visual perception

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-1089

TRIS, TRB

Jan 30 2009 5:18PM