A systematic determination of legends for destination and distance signs in Texas

Abstract

Destination and Distance signs are guide signs which are commonly used along rural highways in Texas to display the names of the destinations to be found along a highway, the direction to travel, and the distance in miles to that destination. Current practice by the Texas Department of Transportation involves emphasizing the next county seat or town with a population greater than 2,500 located along a route. This approach aids in finding each town as the driver approaches but it does little to assist the driver in determining which route leads in the desired direction of travel. Nor does it create cues which the driver can use to follow a route on a lengthy j journey or find motorists'services consistently- This thesis presents a methodology which can be used to determine these legends in a systematic manner. This will provide consistency between signs in terms of the text on consecutive signs and in terms of the type of destinations shown. The proposed approach emphasizes the principal cities, or Primary Cities, of Texas, over smaller, local towns and communities. This is supported by a survey which suggests that drivers know where these larger cities are in Texas and prefer to see these cities shown on signs at greater distances than smaller towns. A hierarchy is presented of Primary Cities, Secondary Cities, Tertiary Cities and Towns, and Other destinations with corresponding distance ranges for use as sign legends.