Traffic Sign Inventory
The RAS team has managed large scale traffic sign inventory projects for over 100,000 miles of roadways and logged over 1,000,000 signs for agencies across the country. RAS completes the field surveys using a fleet of automated data collection vehicles which collect a field survey of every sign in the municipality. RAS typically collects several attributes for each sign including: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD) sign type, location, condition (Good, Fair, Critical), photo, and post type with geo-referenced information being delivered via an Esri geodatabase. The Ras team adheres to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidelines for compliance of its sign management program.
Sign Retroreflectivity Studies
RAS is aware that traffic fatality rates during nighttime are almost 3 times higher than daytime fatality rates and recognize that several factors contribute to this including driver fatigue and alcohol as well as reduced nighttime roadway visibility. RAS also recognizes the importance of nighttime visibility of traffic control devices as our population ages. As of 2020, about one-fifth of the U.S. population is 65 years of age or older. For instance, in 1990 there were 10.7 million drivers over age 70 in the country and in 2006 that number had increased to 20.6 million. In general, older individuals have declining vision and slower reaction times. Signs that are easier to see and read at night can help older drivers retain their freedom of mobility and remain independent. RAS understands that municipalities must maintain safe roadways for the road-users and be aware that the road-user demographics are changing. The underlying issue behind today’s sign retro reflectivity rating is maintaining the signs for all road-users, including this growing demographic.
RAS regularly provides an Agency with a FHWA approved Visual Nighttime Inspection Method that records in the sign database whether the inventoried signs meet the minimum retroreflectivity guidelines in the MUTCD.