best practices for management of traffic signs: town of clifton park as a case study

Best Practices for

Management of Traffic Signs

Wednesday January 18, 2012

Speakers:

John Scavo, Director of Planning Town of Clifton Park

Timothy Stroth, Project Manager Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

Clifton Park as a Case Study

Agenda

Introduction

The Town

Sign Inventory and GTSC Grant

Traffic Sign Inventory Survey

Sign Management Solution

Sign Retroreflectivity

Meeting FHWA Requirements

Summary and Questions

Town of Clifton Park

Mid-southern portion of Saratoga County

Approximately 47 square miles

2009 population estimate 36,469

School districts

Schenendehowa

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Niskayuna

Highway Safety Committee

Planning Department

• Oversee long term planning

• Coordinate review process for pending applications

• Assist applicants and consultants

• Advise Planning Board, Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals

• Support Planning Board and Supervisor's Office in development review processes

• Provide status for current applications

• Overall project administration

• Assist with comprehensive plan implementation

• Implement the Open Space Program

Traffic Signs

Approximately 5,000 town signs

No comprehensive sign inventory

Signs maintained by Highway Department

Maintenance budgets based on historical needs

Need to implement comprehensive approach to meet new sign requirements

GTSC Grant

Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee

Funding source to develop solution for minimum sign retroreflectivity requirements

Grant application prepared

Program established to serve as model for other municipalities

Project results to be made available to other localities and Cornell Local Roads Program

Problem

The aging of our population

Approximately half of the fatal crashes on

the nation's highways occur at night

Must meet minimum retroreflectivity

standards established by FHWA

Compliance dates are approaching fast

No current inventory of town signs

Problem

What do we need to do?

Select method(s) to manage signs

Budget for the necessary effort

Implement selected method(s)

Budget for the future

Replace signs as required

Proposed Solution

Create a traffic sign inventory and a process to measure the retroreflectivity of the more than 5,000 traffic signs located in the town

Create a process to meet federal retroreflectivity requirements

Bring the Town’s signs into compliance with the new National Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the NYS Supplement

Goals

Complete a prototype deployment of a traffic sign inventory

Implement a system to maintain signs in conformance with minimum retroreflectivity requirements

Decrease nighttime crashes in the Town of Clifton Park

Two Phase Approach

Phase 1 Confirm needs

Review available software applications

Select hardware

Integrate GIS and GPS

Field test system in a pilot area

Phase 2 Complete townwide sign inventory

Implement method to maintain minimum sign retroreflectivity

Operational Plan

Conduct interviews with Town Highway Department to establish existing practices

Identify key town technical personnel available

Identify required upgrades for Town GIS

Coordinate with Cornell Local Roads Program

Review currently available software products

Interview vendors

Purchase a commercial-off-the-shelf software package or enlist the services of a vendor.

Develop and integrate a sign inventory database with the Town’s existing GIS

Milestones

Literature review

Survey of Jurisdictions

Interviews with Town Highway Personnel

Develop concept

Develop user and system requirements

Select available hardware and software

Integrate equipment and software

Test system using sample data

Sign Management Practices

Highway Safety Committee conducted fact finding initiatives

Limited current technical literature was available

Several commercially available software packages identified

Additional information sought

Survey of Sign Management Practices

Supplement research

Determine current practices

Web-based survey tool – Survey Monkey

Over 100 responses, 24 states, 4 international responses

Towns 45%

Counties 21%

Aware of FHWA requirements – 91%

Results of Note

Field inventory of signs – 59%

Sign locations mapped – 47%

Inventory System

Commercial-off-the-shelf 16%

Locally Developed 37%

Paper based 26%

No system 21%

Photolog of Streets – 20%

Unique identifier for signs – 32%

General Conclusions

Sign Management and Agency Capabilities

Expertise above average

Resources limited

Help is needed

Clifton Park as Case Study

NCHRP Project: Practices to Manage Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity

Provide examples of successful practices

Illustrate different methods to meet requirements

Assist with development and implementation of sign assessment or management method

National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Synthesis Topic 42-12

Clifton Park Solution

Needs Assessment

Existing and desired sign management methods

Town owned equipment and software

Staff capabilities

Current workflows for sign operations

Recommendations for method(s) to be implemented based on key building blocks

Clifton Park Solution

Key Building Blocks

ESRI GIS software – desktop and mobile

Rugged Trimble tablet computer

Office and field staff capabilities

Staff enthusiasm

Field Equipment

Trimble Yuma Rugged Tablet Computer

Software Application

Custom ESRI ArcPad Forms

Clifton Park Solution

Inventory Program Development

Software upgrades to current versions

Sign data requirements

Workflow and data management

Daily planning efforts

Data check-in/check-out

Training and support

Clifton Park Solution

GPI Approach

Streamlined and simple – inventory based

Systematic inventory program

Recommendations for management of sign assets using a combination of acceptable methods

Blanket replacements

Expected sign life-cycle

Clifton Park Solution

Next Steps

Complete sign inventory

Long range planning and budgeting

Establish sign review process for conformity to MUTCD and NYS Supplement requirements

Implement sign replacement schedule

Ongoing process fine tuning

Collection Technology Trends

Mobile Data Collection

MUTCD

Retroreflectivity Defined

“A property of a surface that allows a large portion of the light coming from a point source to be returned directly back to a point near its

origin.”

Source: MUTCD, 2009 Edition, Section 1A.13 Definitions of Headings, Words, and Phrases in this Manual

Minimum Retroreflectivity

Standard (i.e. mandatory practice):

“Public agencies or officials having jurisdiction shall

use an assessment or management method that is

designed to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above

the minimum levels in Table 2A-3.”

Source: MUTCD, 2009 Edition, Section 2A.08 Maintaining

Minimum Retroreflectivity

Minimum Retroreflectivity

Assessment and Management Methods to maintain minimum levels

A. Visual Nighttime Inspection

B. Measured Sign Retroreflectivity

C. Expected Sign Life

D. Blanket Replacement

E. Control Signs

F. Other Methods

Source: MUTCD, 2009 Edition, Section 2A.08

Minimum Retroreflectivity

Current Milestones for maintaining minimum levels

Jan. 22, 2012: Implement Methodology to maintain minimum levels

Jan. 22, 2015: Regulatory, Warning, Ground Mounted Guide Signs

Jan. 22, 2018: Street Name Signs, Overhead Guide Signs

Source: MUTCD, 2009 Edition, Table I-2

Proposed Revisions

Extend Compliance Date for implementing an assessment or management method to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above the established minimum levels

New date to be 2 years after effective date of Final Rule for this revision

Limit to regulatory and warning signs only

Eliminate other milestones

Source: Federal Register, August 31, 2011

Minimum Retroreflectivity

What does this mean?

Jurisdictions are expected to upgrade signs over

time to meet new requirements utilizing a systematic

upgrading program

Agencies can prioritize and schedule based on

relative safety needs, resources, etc

Agencies can decide to wait until non-compliant

signs reach serviceable life and replace with

compliant signs

Minimum Retroreflectivity

Twofold Requirement

Systematic approach to maintain minimum

retroreflectivity

Compliance with other standards in both the

National MUTCD and NYS Supplement

New sign sizes

Advance posting distances

Signs no longer in use

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Is a sign inventory required?

A comprehensive sign inventory is not required

Sign inventory is recommended

Conformance to overall sign requirements

Budgeting considerations

Long range planning

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Is measuring retroreflectivity required?

No – minimum retroreflectivity levels can be

maintained without establishing measured values

Typically achieved using combination of acceptable

management methods

Expected Sign Life

Blanket Replacement

Control Signs

Meeting MUTCD Requirements

Sign Sheeting and Life Cycle

Sheeting Types

Engineering Grade – 7 year warranty

High Intensity Prismatic – 10 year warranty

Diamond Grade (DG3) – 12 year warranty

Source: 3M

Resource for selection:

NYSDOT Standard Specifications, Section 645 - Signs

Use of Control Signs

Summary

Two Phase Approach

Phase 1: Confirm needs

Review available software applications

Select hardware

Integrate GIS and GPS

Field test system in a pilot area

Phase 2: Complete townwide sign inventory

Implement method to maintain minimum sign retroreflectivity

Summary

Why did Clifton Park choose this solution?

Findings from our research

Availability of equipment and software

Staff capabilities

Operational needs

Budgetary considerations

Schedule for implementation

Summary

How we will manage our sign assets

Confirm our intended approach

Establish budget requirements

Complete Phase 2

Implement systematic sign replacement program

Maintain sign data

Summary

Resources

Cornell Local Roads Program www.clrp.cornell.edu

NYSDOT Funding issues – Regional offices Technical issues – Main office, Sally Olsen

solsen@dot.state.ny.us

Federal Highway Administration www.fhwa.dot.gov/retro

Trade organizations American Traffic Safety Services Assoc.

www.atssa.com

Summary

Thank You!

Summary

Questions?

Summary

Speakers

John Scavo, Director of Planning

Town of Clifton Park, NY

jscavo@cliftonpark.org

Timothy Stroth, Project Manager

Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

tstroth@gpinet.com