Directional and wayfinding signage is a critical element of any transport system. Every transport system needs these signs to help the users find their way around the network and to make full use of the system’s infrastructure. We are all so used to the signage systems which are integrated into airports and railway stations along with the familiar large green highway signs, that we often forget how dysfunctional these transport systems would become without their accompanying signage. Signage is a critical component used to facilitate and legitimise the many and varied trips which cyclists make daily within our cities and towns. Signage can indicate the legal status of a facility (bike lane signs, shared path signs), regulate safe use (Stop, Give Way and parking signs), warn of potential hazards (steep descent, slippery when wet, road ahead signs), and guide cyclists to their destinations (cycle route directional and wayfinding signs). Directional and wayfinding signage projects have in the past been carried out on a per-route basis. Bicycle routes can be located on-road in lanes or mixed traffic streets, off-road on bicycle paths or shared paths or on a mixture of the two. The signing of complex routes is particularly important to provide the necessary connection between on- and off-road elements and to provide overall route cohesion. As road authorities and local councils develop their bicycle facilities into region-wide networks, signage becomes an essential element in facilitating trips across a whole city, town or urban region. Signage for bicycle networks can also inform bicycle riders of routes which are more direct or less heavily trafficked. Bicycle network signage can help raise community awareness of the many route possibilities for bicycle travel other than for single routes or the general street system. This report documents the bicycle directional signage and wayfinding systems currently in use in seven major cycling nations and in seven Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions. It provides a detailed analysis of the w ay directional signs are used in these jurisdictions studying issues such as: relevant guidelines; sign types; layout and design of signs (including colour and typeface); route branding and numbering; marking of named facilities; the use of map signs; pavement markings for wayfinding assistance; sign system planning methodology; sign mounting systems; innovative and useful sign applications and other implementation issues. Recommendations for updating directional sign guidelines have been published in a separate report AP-R492-15 Bicycle Wayfinding (https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-R492-15). (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting