     |
|
   
|
|
| ||||
|
| These questions relate to the content of Lifesaver signs. FAQ - Plan contains questions relating to their use. With property numbers on the kerb, why do we need them on the signs? The emergency services asked for these when we spoke to them before starting our kerb numbering for Navigator’s Paradise. They tell whether a driver needs to turn right or left for the number he wants. Without them, there’s a 50% chance of turning the wrong way. This is an irritation for all of us, but for the emergency services, the delay involved in turning around can mean the difference between life and death. Feedback in the Epping trial indicated these numbers are highly valued by all motorists and should be used on all signs, not just those on main roads and in CBDs. Why do we need them on all signs? Because fires and heart attacks and other emergencies do not happen only on main roads and in CBDs. Drivers on less-travelled back streets have the same needs as those on busy thoroughfares. The left-right question motivated the emergency services’ request for the numbers and it was originally intended to omit the numbers where no turning decision had to be made, as on the stem street’s sign at T junctions. But it soon became apparent that the numbers are equally valuable for a motorist driving straight ahead, as they tell where he is on the street he is travelling. If he turns into the stem street at a T junction, the stem street’s numbers will tell him if he’s at the beginning (numbers 1 and 2) or the end of that street. Why this "wedge" system for the numbers ? Because it is far more effective than conventional notation:
Numbers presently on street name blades are those within the block where the sign is posted. Why aren’t wedge system numbers confined to the one block? Because their effectiveness as a navigational aid is greatly increased if they nominate the first properties to be encountered as one moves away from the sign, even if they are not in the block where the sign in posted but beyond it, in a more distant block.
In urban situations, the first numbers to be encountered will indeed be in the block where the sign is posted, and probably right at the sign. But what if there are no numbers in this block on one or both sides of the street (Signs B, C, and D)? If a driver enters Smith Street from a side street where Sign D is posted, he still does not know which way to turn for his number. Telling him there are no numbers in this block does not help him. Sign B will not help him if he wants an even number, and Sign C will not help if he wants an odd number. Instead, the sign posted at this corner will show the next numbers in Smith Street, even if they are blocks away. This means Signs B, C and D will appear only when there are no more numbers on one or both sides of the street, usually approaching the end of a street. All other signs along the street will show two numbers, even if the block they are in has no properties, or properties on only one side of the street. Unless there are no numbers at all in a street, Signs B, C and D can probably be avoided by posting on an opposite or diagonal corner at the intersection. Taking wedge notation this one step further tells road users precisely what they want to know—"These properties are this way"—without their having to go there to investigate. This is power. On sparsely settled streets, this facility can save a road user from driving (or worse, walking) perhaps several blocks in the wrong direction by showing him the perhaps far-off next number(s) from where he is now. Why are the numbers so big? A better question might be, why are present numbers so small? The 50mm height specified by the current Australian Standard is too small to be read from a car travelling at normal road speeds on even a two-lane road, much less on wider arterial roads. When Len Alexander submitted his Lifesaver format, he pointed out that words can be scanned and read even if letters are missing, but every digit in a number has to be individually deciphered. Once a driver is on the right street, the numbers become the most important feature on the sign for him. If he has to slow down or squint to read them, he may cause an accident. Large numbers make a safer sign. Conventional numbers were designed for pedestrians in business districts. Pedestrians can get up close enough to read them, and they can spend as much time as necessary to decipher them. Drivers can do neither. Lifesaver signs were designed to meet the needs of drivers. The 70-100mm numbers can be read without hesitation or strain, across intersections and in fast-moving, multi-lane traffic. This readability, plus the conciseness of wedge notation, enables drivers to make safe, confident decisions quickly, which they cannot do using present signage. Pedestrians will appreciate them just as much as drivers. Do we really need suburb name on a sign? In metropolitan areas, yes. Sydney has over 700 suburbs, all standing shoulder to shoulder, and some roads run through many. A lost motorist must know the suburb he’s in to use his street directory. For economy, the suburb name need appear on only one of the signs on a post, allowing a narrower 150mm Lifesaver to be used for subsequent signs. Why is the council logo so small? Because space on the sign is precious and navigational information takes priority. Council ID may be important to some road users, especially in Sydney with its 39 local governments, but it is not urgent. Drivers use street name, property numbers and suburb name while they are behind the wheel. If they need to know the council’s name, they can park their car and read the logo from the footpath as a pedestrian. In the Epping trial, the council logo drew more criticism than any other feature of the trialled sign. Some thought council logos had no place on street name signs at all. Lifesaver signs make provision for a 50mm wide logo, 1/3 the size of the trialled sign’s and ½ the size of that depicted in the Australian Standard. Like suburb name, the council logo need appear on only one of the signs on a post. It could also go on the post instead of on the sign. Some logos are pictorial but have no words identifying the council. Local residents will recognise these emblems, but strangers will not. To be informative and not just decorative, such logos should include the council’s name. What happened to the arrowhead and the pointy end ? They were removed as cluttering, costly and unnecessary. The Australian Standard specifies rectangular signs with no arrows. Some councils still use these features to indicate a street name applies to both sides of an intersection, but feedback in the Epping trial showed many road users did not even notice or understand them. In any case, arrowheads are incompatible with the wedge. We can’t use Lifesaver signs because they aren’t in the Australian Standard. Yes you can. Once widely used and widely accepted, Lifesavers will become the standard. See The Standard.
Page created 28 September, 2001. Last updated
19 August, 2003 04:39:34 +1000
|
|
Send mail to
webmaster@streetsigns.com.au with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
