An innovative three-dimensional approach for visibility assessment of highway signs based on the simulation of traffic flow

Abstract

ABSTRACT The location of highway signs has a significant impact on timely route-finding and also on avoiding potential driver confusion. This paper proposes an approach based on three-dimensional spatial analysis to determine the best attributes for signs and traffic flow concerning the visibility of signs. The position, height and perceived area of signs; maximum speed limit; and size of cars were utilized as indicators. Traffic flow was simulated using the Nagel-Schreckenberg model, while other vehicles were considered as dynamic obstacles. The performance of the proposed approach was evaluated in a case study by designing different scenarios. The results reveal that the proposed method can be used as an appropriate tool for evaluating the visibility of existing signs along highways and for determining the optimal place and height for new signs in three-dimensional, based on several parameters such as the maximum allowable speed, traffic flow, average density, and type of vehicles.