HIGHWAY SIGNING FOR DRIVERS’ NEEDS

Traffic signing and pavement marking practitioners rely on a number of very useful manuals to assist them in selecting appropriate highway signs and corresponding field installation locations. These tools include the TAC Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for Canada and the provincial traffic signing manuals, in the case of the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM). While the manuals generally do an excellent job in providing advice for the selection and placement of individual signs in standard situations, there is very little direction for installing traffic signs or pavement markings in more complex situations, particularly where one or more signs are required at the same location. This paper describes a course developed for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation that addresses more complex traffic signing and pavement marking problems through the application of human factors principles to the analysis of a series of case studies. The case studies were based on videotaped road sections from across Ontario that were analyzed using a positive guidance approach. This paper provides an overview of the course content, case studies and analysis approach.