Study finds that young bicyclists as well as experienced licensed drivers understand incorrectly a significant percentage of traffic safety signs and graphic symbols specifically targeted for them.
[For a copy of the ITE paper, please press here.]
Toronto - Dr. Ben Barkow, behavioral and engineering psychologist of the Behavioural Team of Toronto is the recipient of the "Best Transportation Engineering Paper of 1998" given by the International Institute of Transportation Engineers. Barkow co-authored a paper in which his study of comprehension of signage for bicycle routes and facilities was the principal element.
"It's an honor to be recognized by your peers for contributing to a socially valuable project that will improve bicyclists' safety," says Barkow. "The purpose of this study was to conduct tests, and propose recommendations that could eventually lead to the creation of comprehensible signs and symbols for cyclists in the next round of testing."
Test findings revealed that people experience difficulty in translating many of the signs and symbols targeted to bicyclists. Some signs were interpreted in a manner opposite to their intended message. Signs reviewed were: the bicycle symbol, the bikeway marker signs, bicycle crossing ahead sign, horizontal signing, lane delineation, and right turns from "General Purpose Lanes" to a parallel bicycle lane, and a dozen others. In addition, the size of signs was also reviewed.
The study was designed to formulate guidelines, including devices and systems, for the operation and design of bicycle facilities. The information would be subsequently used to identify those areas that were in need of new guidelines. For his study, Barkow tested 261 people. In the first round of tests, 101 students in urban and suburban schools, in the second round 30 licensed adult drivers, and in the third round 130 urban and rural students. The tests consisted of proposed signs presented to the test subjects in booklets and scored for correct comprehension.
The Toronto chapter of the International Institute of Transportation of Engineers will present Barkow with the "Best Engineering Transportation Paper of 1998" award at a ceremony to be held at the Toronto Cricket Club on December 3, 1999.
The International Institute of Transportation Engineers is
a worldwide organization of professionals who are responsible
for meeting society's needs for safe and efficient transportation
through planning, designing, implementing, operating and maintaining
surface transportation systems.
Barkow's most recent achievement was his contribution as a usability consultant to the winning Canada Trust website which received the Quicken International Award for "Best Online Banking Product of 1999." He was hired to improve and increase the site's usability and hence its "hits" by customers of Canada Trust and was notably successful in that effort.
Barkow is the President of Behavioural Team, in Toronto, Ontario.
He is a registered psychologist and Chair of the section on Human
Computer Interaction for the Association for Computing (ACM) in
Toronto, and is a former director for the Institute for Building
Research of the National Research Council of Canada, among other
honors. Barkow, part-time University of Toronto and York University
professor and expert witness in Human Factors, has been a consultant
for government and corporations for more than 30 years.
Editorial advisory:
Copies of the report are available, email: dr.ben@bteam.com
For additional information you can contact :
Ben Barkow, Ph.D.
Behavioural Team
Tel: 416-656-6676
Fax: 416-658-6878
or
Evena Gottschalk
Media consultant
Principal
Tel: 416-658-8363
Fax: 416-658-6878
For a copy of the ITE paper, please press here.