Sequential Advanced Guide Signing for Work Zone Related Rerouting on Highways: The Effect of Longitudinal Location on the Driver’s Trajectory Control

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a sequenced triple (i.e. announcement, instruction, marker) sign configuration for advanced guidance in a work zone related rerouting scenario on longitudinal and lateral driver control. The longitudinal distance of only the second (instruction) sign varied (i.e. 500 m vs. 1,000 m vs. 1,500 m before the target exit) whereas it was held constant for the first (announcement) sign (i.e. 2,000 m before the exit) and the third (marker) sign (i.e. 50 m before the exit). It was expected that the second sign would affect driver’s longitudinal and lateral vehicle control and that the effect would be dependent on the sign’s longitudinal location. 30 subjects completed a 14 km test-drive on a driving simulator with three exits to be taken. Following our expectations, the second sign had an effect on longitudinal (i.e. mean speed and SD for acceleration/deceleration) as well as lateral (i.e. number of lane switches to the right) driver behavior. Furthermore, this effect depended on the longitudinal location of the second (instruction) sign. From a comparison of the three locations it was concluded that placing the second sign at 1,000 m from the exit was the most preferable option in terms of traffic safety and flow.