2013 Session: 470

• Delivering Bus Arrival Information at Stops via Quick Response Codes: Case Study of User Take-up and Reaction in Southampton, United Kingdom
  Abstract: Real-time passenger information systems for bus users are now common place with bus stops in major UK cities equipped with arrival countdown displays and several apps now providing similar information direct to the Smartphone. Real-time displays at stops are expensive to install and given the current rate of smartphone take up, there could be benefits from using Quick Response (QR) codes linking to adapted, mobile friendly, webpages displaying arrival times of buses. This paper reports on a QR code implementation trial on 44 bus stops in six distinct areas of Southampton, UK. Each bus stop was fitted with a poster containing a unique QR code, linking to a website giving live bus arrival information taken from the Southampton traffic control centre. Two types of poster were developed (simplistic with minimal text and a more comprehensive one) to understand what level of instruction was necessary for QR code use. The number of hits at each stop were monitored via the website and surveys of users were undertaken through an on-line questionnaire (accessed via the QR code) and face-to-face interviews.The results suggested that there was very little variation in use of QR codes at stops by day of the week or between peak and inter-peak times but there were variations by geographical area. QR code use improved wait time acceptability and feelings of safety and well-being with the vast majority of users finding the system easy to use.
  Authors: Gammer, Nick; Cherrett, Tom; Gutteridge, Christopher
  Authors: Gammer, Nick; Cherrett, Tom; Gutteridge, Christopher
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-0975
• Evaluation of Driver Performance and Distraction When Using In-Vehicle Signing Information
  Abstract: The goal of the study described in this report was to examine the in-vehicle signing (IVS) function of a hand-held device to determine the utility of the information and any potential distraction associated with the IVS information. Notification of speed zone changes along a roadway, of school zones, of construction zones and of curves were visually displayed on a personal navigation device (PND) to assist drivers with preparing for transitions to new driving situations. A continuous navigation function was provided in two of the three conditions to examine the effect of presenting navigation information alone, IVS information alone or both sources of information (IVS + Navigation) on driving performance. Sixty-one participants (balanced for gender and across age groups) completed the study, which involved performing a simulated drive in one of the conditions along 24-miles of Minnesota roadways. The driving performance results indicated minimal distraction while using the IVS information when changing speed zones. Drivers in the IVS alone condition spent significantly less time looking at the in-vehicle display than drivers who were presented with navigation information. Response times to a visual search task indicated that visual workload increased significantly during a speed transition zone regardless of whether IVS information and/or navigation information was presented or not (i.e., baseline drive). Overall, the project found that drivers may not always adjust speed accordingly when transitioning to new speed zones, even when IVS information is presented in addition to roadway signs.
  Authors: Creaser, Janet; Manser, Michael
  Authors: Creaser, Janet; Manser, Michael
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3011
• Impact of Co-locating Regulatory and Directional Signs on Driver Performance
  Abstract: The use of intelligent transport systems is proliferating across the Australian road network, particularly on major freeways. New technology allows a greater range of signs and messages to be displayed to drivers. While there has been a long history of human factors analyses of signage, no evaluation has been conducted on this novel, sometimes dynamic, signage or potential interactions when co-located. The purpose of this study was to investigate drivers’ behavioral changes and comprehension resulting from the co-location of Lane Use Management Systems with static signs and (Enhanced) Variable Message Signs on Queensland motorways. A section of motorway was simulated, and nine scenarios were developed which presented a combination of signage cases across levels of driving task complexity. Two higher-risk road user groups were targeted for this research on an advanced driving simulator: older (65+ years, N=21) and younger (18-22 years, N=20) drivers. Changes in sign co-location and task complexity had little observed effect on driver comprehension of the signs and vehicle dynamics variables, including difference with the posted speed limit, headway, standard deviation of lane keeping and brake jerks. However, increasing the amount of information contained in one sign area (by co-locating several signs) increased participants’ gaze duration on the signs and resulted in potentially increased crash risk. With co-location of signs and without added task complexity, a single gaze was over 2s for more than half of the population tested for both groups, and up to 6 seconds for some individuals.
  Authors: Larue, Gregoire S.; Schramm, Amy; Smith, Simon; Lewis, Ioni; Rakotonirainy, Andry
  Authors: Larue, Gregoire S.; Schramm, Amy; Smith, Simon; Lewis, Ioni; Rakotonirainy, Andry
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3462
• Business Logo Signing: Evaluation of Number of Logo Panels on Specific Service Signs
  Abstract: Specific Service signs provide motorists with business identification information along freeway approaches to interchanges. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices limits the number of these signs along an interchange approach to four, and the number of logo panels per sign to six. There are continuing requests to increase the number of panels allowed per sign, though little is known about what led to the establishment of the current guidelines. The present research evaluated Specific Service signs with four, six, or nine panels per sign, and with all logo-based panels or all text-based panels. Participants were asked to determine whether a particular business was present on a sign. Mean reaction times (RTs) indicated that for nine-panel signs, younger drivers take approximately 2.2s to correctly determine the presence of a business, while older drivers take approximately 2.9s. Considering drivers of all ages, increasing from six to nine panels brings mean RTs from 1.8s to 2.5s for text signs and from 1.9s to 2.5s for logo signs. In a second task, participants were given 2s to view each sign and then report the businesses present on the sign. Participants reported 3 to 4 businesses on average, regardless of the number of panels on the sign. Considering the generally accepted standard that eye glances away from the forward roadway for greater than 2s are unsafe, the study concluded that the benefit of providing more service information is presumably not great enough to outweigh the risk of information overload and driver distraction.
  Authors: Dagnall, Erin; Katz, Bryan; Bertola, Mary Anne; Shurbutt, Jim
  Authors: Dagnall, Erin; Katz, Bryan; Bertola, Mary Anne; Shurbutt, Jim
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3639
• Delivering Bus Arrival Information at Stops via Quick Response Codes: Case Study of User Take-up and Reaction in Southampton, United Kingdom
  Authors: Cherrett, Tom
  Authors: Cherrett, Tom
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-0975
• Impact of Co-locating Regulatory and Directional Signs on Driver Performance
  Authors: Rakotonirainy, Andry
  Authors: Rakotonirainy, Andry
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3462
• Business Logo Signing: Evaluation of Number of Logo Panels on Specific Service Signs
  Authors: Dagnall, Erin
  Authors: Dagnall, Erin
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3639
• Evaluation of Driver Performance and Distraction When Using In-Vehicle Signing Information
  Authors: Creaser, Janet
  Authors: Creaser, Janet
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: 13-3011
• Presiding Officer
  Authors: Yang, C. Y.
  Authors: Yang, C. Y.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation
  Subject: Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors
  Session: 470
  Paper Number: Z13-470