Agenda - Planning Commission - 05/01/2008

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billboards present. This may be interpreted to . mean that while electronic billboards may be dis- tracting, they do not appear to distract drivers from noticing traffic signs. This study also found that video signs enteringthe driver's line of sight directly in front of the vehicle (e_g., when the sign is situated at a curve) are very distracting. A 2005 study by the Texas Transportation Institute of driver comprehension of sign mes- sages that flash or change concluded that such signs are more distracting, less comprehensible, and require more reading time than do static images. While this research did not evaluate advertising-related signs, it does demonstrate that flashing signs require more ofthe driver's time and attention to comprehend the message. In the case of electronic billboards, this suggests that billboards that flash may require more time and attention to read than static ones. The City of Seattle commissioned a report in 2001 to examine the relationship between Sign messages that flash or change are more distracting, less comprehensible, and require more reading time than do static images. The Seattle study also found that drivers expend a!:Jout 80 percent of their attention on driving-related tasks, leaving 20 percent of their attention for nonessential tasks, includ- ing reading signs. The report recommended the city use a "1O-second rule" as the maxi- mum display time for a video message. APPROACHES TO REGULATING DIGITAL DISPLAY SIGNS Most cities and counties that have amended their sign ordinances to address the use of digi- tal display on on-premise signs and billboards have done soin response to an application by a sign ownerto install a new sign that uses the ital video display signs while still permitting electronic message centers. 3) A relatively small numberof sign ordinances have been amended to allow video display signs under narrowly prescribed circumstances and with numerous conditions. For jurisdictions that want or need to allow them, the following section explains additional considerations that should be added to a sign ordinance to effectively regu- late digital display signs. Sign type. The ordinance must indicate whether the digital display can be used on off- premise billboards only, on on-premise signs only, or on both sign types. electronic signs with mOVing/flashing images and driver distraction. The study was con-. ducted by Jerry Wachtel, who in 1980 had con- ducted the first-ever study on signs and traffic safety for the Federal Highway Administration. The Seattle report concluded that elec- tronic signs with moving images will distract drivers for longer durations (or intervals) than do electronic signs with no movement. The study also noted that the expanded content of a dynamic sign also contributes to extended distraction from driving. Specifically it found that signs that use two or more frames to tell a story are very distracting because drivers are involuntarily compelled to watch the story through to its conclusion. technology or in response to a sign owner hav- ing replaced an existing sign face with a digital display. Some cities, like Minnetonka, were required by a court settlement with a billboard company to allow the technology. Although reg- ulations for digital signs are still relatively new, we can group the regulatory approaches (or lack thereof) into three general categories: 1) Most sign ordinances are still silent on the issue of digital video displays, but almost all do regulate electronic message centers and also prohibit or restrict signs that move, flash, strobe, blink, or contain animation. 2) A smaller but growing number of sign ordi- nances contain a complete prohibition on dig- Definitions. The definitions section must be updated to Include a detailed definition of digital display sign age and the sign's func- tional characteristics that could have an effect on traffic safety and community aesthetics. Zoning districts. The ordinance should list the districts in which such signs are per- mitted and where they are prohibited. Such signs are commonly prohibited in neighbor- hood commercial districts, historic districts, special design districts, and scenic corridors, in close proximity to schools, and in residen- tial districts. On the other end of the spec- trum, East Dundee, Illinois, for example, expressly encourages digital video signs in two commercial overlay districts, but only a ZONING PRACTICE 4.08 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATiON I pag8,5 7