Minimal Luminance Requirement for Official Highway Signs

Details

• Creators:
  Mace, Douglas J. ; Hostetter, Robert S. ; Pollack, Leonard E. ; Zweig, Wayne D.
• Corporate Creators:
  IFR Applications, Inc.
• Contributors:
  Roberts, K.
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety and Traffic Operations R&D ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Brightness Luminance Reflectivity Traffic Signs
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/RD-86/151 ; FHWA-RD-86-151
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Right Statement:
  Public Domain
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Contracting Officer:
  Roberts, K.
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety and Traffic Operations
• Abstract:
  The objectives of the study were to establish minimal levels of sign luminance for various signing applications and conditions, and to develop a structure for determining sign maintenance priorities. The objectives were addressed via development of a system for maintenance of sign reflectivity with luminance standards embedded in the system. This report provides an overview of the problems of implementing luminance standards. It presents a discussion of the major factors essential to a computer-based system to implement reflectivity standards. It describes a decision-support system developed for use in managing and maintaining sign inventories. It also describes an "empirical study designed to evaluate several aspects of this system. The empirical study showed that use of the system for making decisions about sign replacement based on specific intensity per unit area (SIA) produces results comparable to results produced by experts making sign replacement decisions. A final section states that the system could provide a cost-effective tool for use by State or local agencies, but would depend on information that establishes a relationship between sign material age and location, and sign brightness. Such data are not yet available in the literature. The report also includes two appendices covering analytical determination of minimum brightness standards for sign legibility, and luminance of retroreflective materials and their deterioration.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTFH61-83-C-00107
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8da00b165c0c375046c5f47f454752021424edf89f4c4699e176a8a6cb0693359c0c1c08166913d7d1191fc3f4aed29335bb4042b7a97ffd113b5b449b5e7d54
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88535/dot_88535_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.25 MB ]