Urban signing considerations

The amount of signing required at individual locations is largely based on engineering judgment. However, in practice, the designer can usually use fewer and smaller signs in urban settings than in rural settings. This is true because drivers are generally traveling at lower vehicular speeds and have higher levels of familiarity at urban intersections. Therefore, in many urban settings the advance destination guide signs can be eliminated. However, some indication of street names should be included in the form of exit guide signs or standard street name signs. Another consideration in urban settings is the use of minimum amounts of signing to avoid sign clutter. A sample signing plan for an urban application is shown in Exhibit 7-15.