Agenda - Council - 07/22/2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Table 6. Teles~ot Sigta Crash Rates - E.z~ress~a~ay RTOrth.boun.d .overage per year Average per year Average (1/1/1970- (1!1/1973- Percent 12/31/1972 3/31/197 Chan e Crashes where the sign was viewable 46.E 42.7 -7.8 (south of si n Crashes where the sign:was not viewable 8.0 1.8 -77.5 (north of si6r- This analysis shows that ~~,~hile crash rates decreased on comparable sections in the years after the sign ~~as uistalled, the sections. ~~~here the sign was visible experienced smaller crash rate decreases. Due to these arguments, the Board ruled that the operation of the sigtl must be terminated. Wisconsin department of Transportation Mifwaukee County Stadium Variable Message Sign Study - {mpacts of an Advertising Variab{e Message Sign on Freeway Traffic (1994) zz A study prepared by the Wisconsizi Department of Transportation (WisDOT) examined crash rates before and after an advertising variable message sign «~as installed ui 1984 on the Milwaukee County Stadium, home of the Milwaukee Bre~~ers professional baseball team. Crash statistics were analyzed for the three years before and the one and three. years after the sign teas installed. As they are often associated with driver distraction; side-swipe and rear-end crashes, as well as total crashes, were examined for .both the eastbound and v,~estbound directions. The sign ;~~as much more visible to eastbound traffic due to the . stadium's proximity to the road~~,~ay and the amount of visual obstructions for westbound traffic. The analysis found an increase in crash'rates for all crash types in the eastbound direction after the sign was uistalled. Most pronounced «~as an 80 percent increase ui side-swipe crashes after the first year of installation. Results in the westbound direction were mixed; with a 29 percent decrease in crashes the first year the sign was in place and a 3S percent increase in the three years the sig71 was in place. Although no control roadway sections were studied, an intervie«~ with the study author revealed that the introduction of a sign on a high volume curving roadt~,~ay ma}; have introduced enough distraction to an already demanding driving environment to explain the higher crash rate in the eastbound direction. The study author also stated that the study «%as not able to . establish a causal relationship between the si~1 and the crash rates.'-' Federal Highway Administration Research Review of Potential Safety Effects of Electronic Billboards on ©river Attention and ©istraction (2001) Za . The Federal High~~~ay Administration ~''i published a comprehensive report in 2001 that consisted of a literature search; literatur'~re review and a description of research needs for X17 -225-