Agenda - Council - 11/13/2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Table 6. Telespot Sign Crash Rates - Expressway Northbound Average per year Average per year Average (1/1/1970- (1/1/1973- Percent 12/31/1972) 3/31/1975) Change Crashes where the sign was viewable 46.3 42.7 -7.8 (south of sign) Crashes where the sign was not viewable 8.0 1.8 -77.5 (north of sign) This analysis shows that while crash rates decreased on comparable sections in the years after the sign was installed, the sections where the sign was visible experienced smaller crash rate decreases. Due to these arguments, the Board ruled that the operation of the sign must be terminated. Wisconsin Department of Transportation Milwaukee County Stadium Variable Message Sign Study — Impacts of an Advertising Variable Message Sign on Freeway Traffic (1994) 22 A study prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) examined crash rates before and after an advertising variable message sign was installed in 1984 on the Milwaukee County Stadium, home of the Milwaukee Brewers professional baseball team. Crash statistics were analyzed for the three years before and the one and three years after the sign was 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 westbound directions. The sign was much more visible to eastbound traffic due to the stadium's proximity to the roadway 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 installed. Most pronounced was an 80 percent increase in 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 35 percent increase in the three years the sign was in place. Although no control roadway sections were studied, an interview with the study author revealed that the introduction of a sign on a high volume curving roadway may 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 was not able to establish a causal relationship between the sign and the crash rates.23 Federal Highway Administration Research Review of Potential Safety Effects of Electronic Billboards on Driver Attention and Distraction (2001) 24 The Federal Highway Administration published a comprehensive report in 2001 that consisted of a literature search, literature review and a description of research needs for 14