This is not a good sign

by Cory Caulfield, Winter-Spring 2006

Thankfully, Rappahannock does not seem to have any imminent battles brewing regarding our roads, but there is one thing that has been irking residents around the county.


	Some of the signage on Rt. 211 at Massies Corner: Is it helpful or distracting? One thing for sure, it doesn't add anything to the scenic splendor of Rappahannock County. Photo courtesy Pam Owen.

We can all agree that driving our county roads is an opportunity to enjoy its scenic beauty, but have you noticed the clutter that has crept into our roadside views? If you have driven Fodderstack Road or Rt. 211 to Massie's Corner, you have seen it—the multitude of road signs cropping up.

Of course, signs are an essential part of our road system; we need them for directions, for safety, and speed limits. The amount and repetition of signs, however, might not be necessary. Repetitive clusters of roadway signs can not only be confusing and pointless, but also down right ugly—"frivolous visual intrusions," as one Fodderstack resident put it. And in between those clusters are many singular signs that are of little or no help to drivers.

"The trouble with traffic engineers is that when there's a problem with a road, they always try to add something. To my mind, it's much better to remove things."

—Traffic engineer Hans Monderman, in a Wired Magazine article
www.wired.com

Too much signage can also encourage a lack of respect and disregard for the very signs that may actually have important information—the more the eye sees, the more the eye ignores. We have probably all experienced this at one time or another.

Recently, there has been growing interest from RLEP's membership in a resolution that would ask the Virginia Department of Transportation to consider more carefully any additional signs being placed in Rappahannock. This resolution would be drafted by the RLEP Highway Matters Committee and voted on by the RLEP board. The accepted resolution would then be taken to the county Board of Supervisors for consideration. If passed, it would not change any laws or even require a public hearing; it would simply be a request, from the county, for VDOT to consider the value of signage before going through with installation and to make VDOT aware that the county would like to limit the number of signs added to our roadsides. In the past, our local VDOT engineers have been cooperative and helpful with requests coming from citizens and the Board of Supervisors.

"Transportation researchers have conducted significant studies of sign legibility and visibility, both for traffic and highway signs and for on-premises signs to attempt to answer the question, Do signs cause traffic accidents? ...There still is no definitive answer other than to say that traffic safety is viewed by the courts as a legitimate purpose for sign regulations."

—American Planning Association
www.planning.org

As you drive around the county in the coming weeks, please take a look at all the signs on our roads. The Highway Matters Committee would like RLEP members' opinions on this issue and whether or not you think a resolution of this type would be appropriate for RLEP to pursue.

Please send you comments or suggestions to mail@rlep.org.