"WRONG WAY" signage design flaw?

[Dustin DeWinn]

I only noticed this after living in my current state, but I'm assuming this is national. Especially on divided 2-way highways, WRONG WAY signage is placed on the left and right sides of the highway, but one of them is always more prominent (usually the left) which is closer to the other side.

I intuitively know that I'm heading in the correct direction, but there's still a brief panic seeing it.

If I were heading in the same direction on the other road I may see the sign on the right first (the one I'm seeing on my left heading in the correct direction)

I have an idea, a thought experiment I wanted to float and ask: Update the WW sign with an arrow or some indicator to show which side of the highway should pay attention. When the sign is on an island, it's visible to both, so it may send the wrong message to those it's not intended for

I hope that makes sense

[Rothman]

Someone may interpret the arrow as leading you where you should go or otherwise incorrectly.

I know the issue you're talking about, though, but I think it comes down to placement rather than needing to change the signage itself.

[CtrlAltDel]

Here's one I've never really liked.


I've often thought they should put a nice shrubbery in front of it so only people actually traveling the wrong way can see it.

[Dustin DeWinn]

actually love that idea

[Big John]

^^ That would create a clear zone hazard.

[wanderer2575]

Maybe install the median one at a slight angle and mount louvers on it so it can be read only by someone on that carriageway.

[J N Winkler]

Someone may interpret the arrow as leading you where you should go or otherwise incorrectly.

I know the issue you're talking about, though, but I think it comes down to placement rather than needing to change the signage itself.

Caltrans addresses this issue by using what they call a wrong-way signing package, which consists of "Do Not Enter" and "Wrong Way" mounted on the same post at the ramp terminal, rather than having one sign halfway up the ramp.

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

I suspect (but have not investigated in any systematic way) that a state DOT is more likely to standardize on placing "Wrong Way" midway up the ramp if it does not have many double-loaded ramps to deal with.

[Scott5114]

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

If you want to see an even more extreme example of this, check out what happens in Vegas.


Of course, this means you have to have a gantry over every ramp, like there is in Las Vegas. But they're nice to have, anyway.

[MikeTheActuary]

When ConnDOT went through its campaign of improving Wrong Way signage at interchanges throughout the state, I found the result to be extremely cluttered at in places with limited space and sightlines, particularly due to the presence of other signage.

For example, consider the south side of the Hamilton Road interchange at CT 20 in Windsor (my interchange).   Here's the GSV image: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9165992,-72.6857141,3a,75y,356.99h,93.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPHaMjPylHaNxS_-y0F3vzw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu ...and when the Do Not Enter signs were installed, they were less-angled, creating a situation where someone might fight the one-way and do not enter signs on the right side of the exit ramp  to be ambiguous about which ramp they applied to.

[CtrlAltDel]

^^ That would create a clear zone hazard.

Just give it a breakaway stem. 

[Dustin DeWinn]

Had a very very rudamentary and crude mockup of a possible elegant solution. Thoughts?

[hotdogPi]

I don't know what that image is referring to (particularly, what the green rectangles are), but it looks like those going in the correct direction will see the "WRONG WAY" signs, rather than those going the wrong direction.

[roadfro]

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

If you want to see an even more extreme example of this, check out what happens in Vegas.


Of course, this means you have to have a gantry over every ramp, like there is in Las Vegas. But they're nice to have, anyway.

It's primarily the 215 beltway that features overhead sign bridges at every off ramp, so that's a Clark County Public Works design choice as opposed to NDOT. CCPW has tended to put up sign gantries along almost every off ramp along the beltway, even standard diamond interchanges, whereas NDOT tends to employ these only at non-standard interchanges (SPUIs, DDIs, etc.). To be fair, there's a lot of sign bridges on NDOT-maintained off ramps in the Vegas area as well...

The giant overhead "WRONG WAY"  signs along beltway off ramps appear to have been a fairly recent addition. They haven't always been there, and I noticed them for the first time on a visit just a few months ago (not sure how long they've been there though...I'm on an iPad right now and having trouble get into historical Street Views). There was a spate of wrong way driving occurrences around Vegas a few years ago, and I'm curious if these installs happened as a result...

This treatment is not unprecedented. I also seem to recall a thread on this forum discussing similar treatment along a freeway mainline. I want to say it was along one of the Loop freeways (202?) in Phoenix.

[Dustin DeWinn]

I don't know what that image is referring to (particularly, what the green rectangles are), but it looks like those going in the correct direction will see the "WRONG WAY" signs, rather than those going the wrong direction.

Here for the feedback I know it was not a very good design but what I was trying to communicate was that the green signs on both sides point towards the oncoming traffic indicating that this is the correct direction and to pay attention to those meaning that if you see the green facing you it means you're correct

[J N Winkler]

This treatment is not unprecedented. I also seem to recall a thread on this forum discussing similar treatment along a freeway mainline. I want to say it was along one of the Loop freeways (202?) in Phoenix.

I have read of this being done on I-17 as well.  AIUI, the signs are integrated into the freeway management system, so when a wrong-way driver is detected, red LEDs along the borders of the "Wrong Way" signs start flashing, while the VMSes warn drivers headed in the correct direction.

[CovalenceSTU]

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

If you want to see an even more extreme example of this, check out what happens in Vegas.


Of course, this means you have to have a gantry over every ramp, like there is in Las Vegas. But they're nice to have, anyway.

Reminds me of this one I saw in central Oregon a few years back, mounted to its own gantry:

[ozarkman417]

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

If you want to see an even more extreme example of this, check out what happens in Vegas.


Of course, this means you have to have a gantry over every ramp, like there is in Las Vegas. But they're nice to have, anyway.

These could be useful on Diverging Diamonds, which often times have a gantry or sign off to the side a little bit before traffic reverses directions.
Inspiration for this post came from some old guy who went the wrong way on this DDI not too long ago. Fortunately, I was the only other car in the interchange at the time, thus no one was hurt.
I'd place a WRONG WAY sign atop the gantry featured in my GSV link.

[RobbieL2415]

Arizona DOT, which is in the middle of a campaign against wrong-way driving, has been mounting "Wrong Way" overhead on the back of lightweight signbridges which also carry lane assignment signs facing exiting traffic.

If you want to see an even more extreme example of this, check out what happens in Vegas.


Of course, this means you have to have a gantry over every ramp, like there is in Las Vegas. But they're nice to have, anyway.

See, this is what ConnDOT should do instead of putting smaller WRONG WAY signs on the backs of SPEED LIMIT signs.

[roadfro]

This treatment is not unprecedented. I also seem to recall a thread on this forum discussing similar treatment along a freeway mainline. I want to say it was along one of the Loop freeways (202?) in Phoenix.

I have read of this being done on I-17 as well.  AIUI, the signs are integrated into the freeway management system, so when a wrong-way driver is detected, red LEDs along the borders of the "Wrong Way" signs start flashing, while the VMSes warn drivers headed in the correct direction.

NDOT has more extensive wrong way detection systems in the Reno area that function similarly. Four wrong way signs on off ramps, two initial signs closer to the ramp terminal and at lower height, and the two sign at standard positioning, all with red lights (red RRFBs initially, now using red beacons) that flash when a wrong way driver is detected. These ramps are tied into the local traffic monitoring system, but I don't think they put a warning message on VMSs automatically. These ramps also have small red reflectors on the back of the normal delineators, and sometimes red reflective tape on the back of sign posts.

[Henry]

This treatment is not unprecedented. I also seem to recall a thread on this forum discussing similar treatment along a freeway mainline. I want to say it was along one of the Loop freeways (202?) in Phoenix.

I have read of this being done on I-17 as well.  AIUI, the signs are integrated into the freeway management system, so when a wrong-way driver is detected, red LEDs along the borders of the "Wrong Way" signs start flashing, while the VMSes warn drivers headed in the correct direction.

I think that's the greatest idea ever! Along with the LEDs flashing, I'd also add a loud buzzer sound for when a wrong-way driving situation occurs. In fact, to take it one step further, all the state DOTs need to make this the norm everywhere.

[jtespi]

Here's one I've never really liked.


I've often thought they should put a nice shrubbery in front of it so only people actually traveling the wrong way can see it.

I think the best solution would be to angle the right hand (in the center median) Wrong Way sign to face more towards the center of the intended ramp. With enough angle, it would be clear to drivers going the correct direction on the loop ramp that the Wrong Way sign isn't meant for them.