Orange and Black versus Orange and White Construction Signs

[CtrlAltDel]

I've noticed that while construction signs are orange with black text, the construction barrels and barricades and so on are orange with white stripes. This inconsistency bothers me a bit, and I was wondering if it might be best to switch to white text on the signs. The black on orange also seems to offer almost not quite enough contrast for readability, but white might not really be all that much better. I'm wondering if anyone has studied this (probably) and what others might think. For a quick comparison, I offer:

[Rothman]

Black on orange looks better to me, especially if glare from sunlight is taken into account.

[paulthemapguy]

In the field, white-on-orange looks similar to white-on-brown, especially in low light.  So I'd like to keep the text color on an orange background different from the text color which appears on brown backgrounds.  Since orange appears lighter than brown, I think black is more appropriate for orange, which leaves white text for brown backgrounds which appear on some guide signs.  I hold this position even though traffic barrels and barricades have white on them, but they have to be white since they need to reflect light for visibility.  You can't have black reflectors, after all 

[jeffandnicole]

White on construction barrels are needed for reflectivity.  Black lettering on signage is needed for contrast against an orange background. 

Can you give examples of construction that wasn't readable, especially at highway speeds?   (And that means normal signage, not the signs that state "On or about September 22, 2018, The Longest Road Name In History will be closed for construction for an underestimated amount of time. Please seek alternate routes")

[AsphaltPlanet]

Ontario, Canada uses orange and black construction barrels, to complement the orange and black construction signage:



(though some of the barrels in this photo look like they need to be replaced).

[UCFKnights]

The base of the barrels and cones are usually black, so technically those devices are typically 3 color... lol Cones without the white reflective tape applied are orange and black.

[roadfro]

The base of the barrels and cones are usually black, so technically those devices are typically 3 color... lol Cones without the white reflective tape applied are orange and black.

I see where you're going...that's like saying a speed limit sign mounted on a standard metal post is black, white and silver.

The base of cones depends on the manufacturer (sometimes the top of the base is coated orange with the rest of the cone), but the base on the barrel is a separate black rubberized weight. In any event, the MUTCD isn't regulating appearance of the base, but the parts that stick up.

[CtrlAltDel]

Black lettering on signage is needed for contrast against an orange background. 

This is the part I'm not so sure of. Does black really give more contrast than white here? I'm not sure it does, but I'm not sure it doesn't either. Although the idea of sunlight reflection is something I hadn't considered.

Can you give examples of construction that wasn't readable, especially at highway speeds?   (And that means normal signage, not the signs that state "On or about September 22, 2018, The Longest Road Name In History will be closed for construction for an underestimated amount of time. Please seek alternate routes")

Any standard construction signing will do, such as that presented in my OP.

[Scott5114]

White probably contrasts better with the darker orange that Oklahoma (and probably other states) used in the 90s and 2000s. Now that the brighter, fluorescent orange is preferred, black is unquestionably better.

[roadfro]

Black lettering on signage is needed for contrast against an orange background. 

This is the part I'm not so sure of. Does black really give more contrast than white here? I'm not sure it does, but I'm not sure it doesn't either. Although the idea of sunlight reflection is something I hadn't considered.

The contrast problem would actually be worse under headlights. White and orange are fully reflective, whereas black is the only a non-reflective color. I don't think there would be enough contrast between orange and white colors and sheeting types that would make the sign readable with headlight illumination–the halation problem would likely be worse than it is for BGSs.