Are there FHWA guidelines for VMS?

[Pete from Boston]

I know from a recent newspaper artcle that New Jersey, for instance, has rules on how many separate displays of text can make up a VMS message.  Does FHWA?  One of the things that made me think of it, ironically, was a VMS in NJ that took 3-4 separate screens to get through its "don't drive distracted" message.  I've see them of 5 screens or more on some roads. 

How many "screens" does FHWA permit?  Is it governed at all by speed?

What about text size?  Massachusetts now has quasi-permanent ones along many highways, but as they are just repurposed portable construction signs they're too small the read much clearly at high speed.

[myosh_tino]

Chapter 2L dealing with VMSes is a new chapter added to the MUTCD in 2009.  Section 2L.05 states...

Each message shall consist of no more than two phases. A phase shall consist of no more than three lines of text. Each phase shall be understood by itself regardless of the sequence in which it is read. Messages shall be centered within each line of legend. Except for signs located on toll plaza structures or other facilities with a similar booth-lane arrangement, if more than one CMS is visible to road users, then only one sign shall display a sequential message at any given time.

California already follows this policy of displaying at most two phases of text on it's overhead VMSes.  When two phases are used, the messages in both phases are displayed "back-to-back" followed by a brief blank-out phase before displaying the message in phase 1.  For example...

Messages...
Phase 1: "CHAIN CONTROL NEXT 25 MILES"
Phase 2: "SPEED LIMIT 25 MPH MAX"

Display Sequence on VMS...
CHAIN CONTROL NEXT 25 MILES
SPEED LIMIT 25 MPH MAX
<Blank Out>
CHAIN CONTROL NEXT 25 MILES
SPEED LIMIT 25 MPH MAX
<Blank Out>

The blank-out period is something on the order of half a second.

[theline]

VMS in NJ that took 3-4 separate screens to get through its "don't drive distracted" message.

Officer: "What caused you to drive off the road and hit that abutment?"
Driver: "I was reading the 'don't drive distracted' message."

Edit: Sorry officer, I was too distracted by the distracted driving message to type "to."

[myosh_tino]

To follow up on my previous post, I created this animated GIF to show how Caltrans' CMS displays work...

[Alps]

When designing VMS, the industry standard is to cite anything written by Conrad Dudek.

[bwana39]

https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/feds-discouraging-but-not-banning-funny-messages-on-highway-signs/287-b1654f9a-d53c-4c27-a2ef-0a971884d64a

It appears the new mutd is all against signs that are humorous and trite.

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

[Big John]

https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/feds-discouraging-but-not-banning-funny-messages-on-highway-signs/287-b1654f9a-d53c-4c27-a2ef-0a971884d64a

It appears the new mutd is all against sighs that are humorous and trite.

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

I would sigh too.

[bwana39]

https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/feds-discouraging-but-not-banning-funny-messages-on-highway-signs/287-b1654f9a-d53c-4c27-a2ef-0a971884d64a

It appears the new mutd is all against sighs that are humorous and trite.

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

I would sigh too.

Maybe sythe?

[Rothman]

https://www.wfaa.com/article/traffic/feds-discouraging-but-not-banning-funny-messages-on-highway-signs/287-b1654f9a-d53c-4c27-a2ef-0a971884d64a

It appears the new mutd is all against signs that are humorous and trite.

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

This was already extensively discussed...