Page:Traffic Signs for Motorways (1962).pdf/26

 The large expanse of white background on a sign this size is very unsightly, and we were particularly concerned about the effect on the eye when it travelled quickly from the image of dark lettering on a light ground to the opposite image of light on dark. We accordingly considered the possibility of employing the white on blue colour scheme for the entire sign and distinguishing between the all-purpose road and motorway directions by using upper case lettering for the one and lower case lettering for the other. The effect of this was also unhappy, chiefly because the place-names in upper case lettering tended to look clumsy against those in lower case, and we therefore decided to recommend to you that the sign should appear in the white on blue colour scheme but employ lower case lettering exclusively; the motorway directions would be distinguished by the route-number.

53. The sign we now recommend is illustrated in figure 6 of Appendix IV. The x-height of the lower case lettering in the place-names should normally be four inches and the height of the route-numbers eight inches. In those few instances where there are as many as four groups of place-names and route-numbers, however, route-numbers of this size would tend to dominate the sign, and for such signs we recommend that the route-number should be in characters only one and three-quarters times the x-height of the lower case letters.

54. The layout of the particular sign illustrated in figure 6 happens to correspond fairly closely to the configuration of the actual junction. Though this is clearly desirable, we also consider that it is important for maximum clarity that the component parts of the message should be separated as widely as possible. We recommend that on all such signs the arms representing the outlets should, so far as the layout of the junction allows, be so aligned as to achieve this degree of separation.

55. Where the junction has outlets formed by minor roads as well as by major all-purpose roads and the motorway or slip roads, these minor roads should be represented on the advance direction sign by stubs, which should be shorter than the arms representing the major outlets. The stubs are essential if the driver is to judge whether he wants the first, second or third outlet from the junction. We do not, however, think it essential that place-names should be attached to the stubs representing the minor roads.

56. We recognise that for the user of the all-purpose roads these signs with a motorway direction in them form a link in the chain of all-purpose signposting he may be following, and he will therefore be looking for a sign in the familiar black and white colour scheme. On the other hand a motorist who wishes to use the motorway should be able to follow a consistent series of signs while he approaches the motorway and after that until he leaves it. Our attempt to cater for both drivers by combining the two colour schemes on the same sign having, we believe, proved unsuccessful, we have been forced to choose between them, and our choice has been partly determined by the consideration that the white on blue sign will give all drivers a warning that they are approaching a junction with a motorway.

57. Traffic joining the Preston By-Pass at the only intermediate junction along the motorway must leave the all-purpose road at one of two roundabouts