HIGHWAY SIGNING FOR DRIVERS’ NEEDS - Paper prepared for presentation - Course overview and case study analysis

Sep 18, 2026

Traffic signing and pavement marking practitioners depend on Canada’s TAC Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and provincial manuals, such as Ontario’s Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM), to select signs and determine standard installation locations. The manuals provide limited guidance for more complex conditions, especially when multiple signs or markings must be installed at the same location. The paper presents an Ontario Ministry of Transportation course built on human factors principles, using videotaped Ontario road sections and a positive guidance approach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Sign and Marking Challenges

A Course for Practitioners on a Drivers’ Needs Approach to Signing

Existing Highway Signing Tools

HIGHWAY SIGNING FOR DRIVERS’ NEEDS Alison Smiley, PhD, CCPE HUMAN FACTORS NORTH INC. Jim Houghton, P.Eng. Chris Philp, P.Eng. iTRANS Consulting Inc. Paper prepared for presentation at the Road Safety Engineering – New Developments and Initiatives Session of the 2004 Annual Conference of the Transportation Association of Canada Québec City, Québec September 19 – 22, 2004 ABSTRACT Traffic signing and pavement marking practitioners rely on a number of very useful manuals to assist them in selecting appropriate highway signs and corresponding field installation locations. These tools include the TAC Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for Canada and the provincial traffic signing manuals, in the case of the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) . While the manuals generally do an excellent job in providing advice for the selection and placement of individual signs in standard situations, there is very little direction for installing traffic signs or pavement markings in more complex situations, particularly where one or more signs are required at the same location. This paper describes a course developed for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation that addresses more complex traffic signing and pavement marking problems through the application of human factors principles to the analysis of a series of case studies. The case studies were based on videotaped road sections from across Ontario that were analyzed using a positive guidance approach. This paper provides an overview of the course content, case studies and analysis approach. 1 Introduction Traffic signing and pavement marking practitioners rely on a number of very useful manuals to assist them in selecting appropriate highway signs and corresponding field installation locations. These tools include the TAC Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for Canada and the provincial traffic signing manuals, in the case of the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM) . While the manuals generally do an excellent job in providing advice for the selection and placement of individual signs in standard situations, there is very little direction for installing traffic signs or pavement markings in more complex situations, particularly where one or more signs are required at the same location. This paper describes a course developed for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, that addresses more complex traffic signing and pavement marking problems through the application of human factors principles to the analysis of a series of case studies. The case studies were based on videotaped road sections from across Ontario that were analyzed using a positive guidance approach. This paper provides an overview of the course content, case studies and analysis approach. 1.1 Sign and Marking Challenges Road design plays a major role in determining the difficulty of the signing and the marking task. Most roadways can be signed based on traffic manual standards. However, roadways with geometric challenges will present signing and marking challenges, which the manuals may not cover, and for which engineering judgment must be used. Examples of such challenges include: ∙ Signing and marking of unusually sharp curves ∙ Signing and marking of road sections with abrupt transitions between high speed freeways or multi-lane highways and the first signalized intersection ∙ Signing and marking of passing lanes in which vehicles may be stopped to make left turns ∙ Placement of guide signs at closely spaced interchanges These situations may come to light because of high crash rates, observations of municipal or police road patrols and/or public complaints. Often it will be the case that standard signing and marking techniques have been used, but do not appear to be sufficient. To enhance traffic operations and safety for a challenging road design, an understanding of driver needs and limitations in vision,

FAQs

Why do traffic signing and pavement marking practitioners need guidance beyond the TAC MUTCD and provincial manuals?

The manuals work well for standard situations, but offer little direction for complex locations, especially where multiple signs or markings are required at the same place.

What approach does the Ontario course use to address complex signing and marking problems?

The course applies human factors principles and uses videotaped road sections as case studies analyzed through a positive guidance approach.

What kinds of road and site conditions create signing and marking challenges?

Examples include unusually sharp curves, abrupt transitions between different roadway types, passing lanes that require left turns, and guide-sign placement at closely spaced interchanges.

Sep 18, 2026

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