The Effects of NO TURN ON RED / YIELD TO PEDS Variable Message Signs on Motorist and Pedestrian Behavior
Source: Highway Safety Research Center, Florida Department of Transportation
This report evaluates the effects of variable message signs in Orlando, Florida, on motorist and pedestrian behavior. The signs display a ANO TURN ON RED@ message to motorists in the right-turn lane when they have a red signal. The signs display a AYIELD TO PEDS@ message to motorists in the right-turn lane when they have a green signal.
A treatment-and-control study design was used. Data were collected at three signalized intersections with variable message signs (treatment sites) and also at three Acontrol sites,@ i.e., signalized intersections without any NO TURN ON RED or YIELD TO PEDS signs. The treatment sites were compared with the control sites to evaluate the effectiveness of the variable message signs.
The sites with the variable message signs were found to have a significantly lower incidence of motorists who illegally turned right on red, compared to the control sites. They did not have any significant differences compared to the control sites in terms of the number of rightturn- on-green motorists who yielded to pedestrians.
