Traffic Control Devices Flashcards
Design and placement of traffic control devices must consider what human factors?
- Timing
- Primacy (target value)
- Expectancy
- Redundancy
Minimum sign mounting height
Rural - 5’ above near edge of pavement
Parking/Ped Areas - 7’
Overhead - 17’
Secondary panels may be mounted 1’ lower than the clearances listed above
Lateral offset for sign placement
Rural - 12’ from edge of traveled way or 6’ from outside edge of shoulder, whichever is greater
Urban - 1’ from face of curb, or more if required by agency
Standard Sign Color - regulatory
Red
Standard Sign Color - warning
Yellow
Standard Sign Color - guide
Green
Standard Sign Color - services
Blue
Standard Sign Color - construction
Orange
Standard Sign Color - recreation
Brown
Standard Sign Color - school
fluorescent yellow-green
Standard Sign Color - incident
fluorescent pink
Standard Sign Color - electronic toll
Purple
What types of signs require retroreflectivity (or to be lit)?
Regulatory, warning, and guide
What are the message requirements for changeable message signs?
No more than
- 2 displays per message
- 3 lines with 20 characters per line
Readable at least twice by drivers traveling at the prevailing speed
Potential advantages of traffic signals
- provide for orderly movement of traffic
- reduce frequency of certain types of crashes
- increase capacity of minor street approach
- provide gaps
Potential disadvantages of traffic signals
- increase delay and fuel consumption during off-peak periods
- increase frequency of certain types of crashes
- result in driver frustration
- cause road users to choose less appropriate routes
MUTCD Signal Warrants
- Eight-hour vehicular volume
- Four-hour vehicular volumes
- Peak hour
- Pedestrian volume
- School crossing
- Coordinated signal system
- Crash experience
- Roadway network
- Intersection near a railroad grade crossing
Pretimed Control
Consistent cycle and interval lengths
Actuated Control
Responds to changing traffic flows by using detection
What size lenses are required by the MUTCD? What are the exceptions?
12”, except when:
- downstream signals are closely spaced
- circular indications when posted speed limit less than 30 mph
- circular indications for supplemental near-side signal
- supplemental signal solely for peds/bikes
Signal Phase
Sum of green right-of-way, yellow change, and red clearance intervals
Phase Numbering (ring diagram)
The signal may display one phase from one ring and one phase from the other ring… NOT two phases from the same ring and not phases that cross barriers
What is the purpose of phasing?
To minimize potential hazards at the intersection by separating conflicting vehicular and pedestrian movements
What is the threshold to consider dual left turns?
300 left turns/hour
What are the two rules of thumb for separating the left turn phase?
100+ left turns/hour
number of left turning vehicles x opposing volume > 50,000
Do short cycle lengths tend to increase or decrease overall intersection delay?
Decrease, as long as capacity is not exceeded
To provide equal quality of service to all movements, the green interval lengths should be…
proportional to traffic demand volumes per lane