Road authorities invest a substantial amount of money to assist the public in safely navigating the road network. This consists of road signs, markings and delineation. There is also a continuous maintenance cost to retain and replace these assets. Standard signage and pavement markings are used to help road users absorb necessary information as easily as possible. Two market research projects were commissioned by VicRoads to investigate the user needs for navigation in Melbourne and the public understanding of signage and pavement marking practice. The research found that most drivers were comfortable with navigation in Melbourne, however there is potential for improvement of road signage at major intersections. Street directories, street name and suburb signage were the navigational tools that motorists use most. Public understanding of signs and signage categories was good with around 87 per cent of respondents showing full or partial understanding of signs. There was a strong link between familiarity, understanding and usefulness of signs. A number of signs were identified as being poorly understood by the public, these have been recommended for further assessment to develop alternative sign designs that are more readily understood. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. 0612AR242E.
Abstract