Effective Use of Traffic Control Devices on Highways ays with Work Zones at Texas-Mexico Border Regions

摘要

The majority of traveling public that lives in the United States understands that traffic controldevices (TCDs) are used to guide vehicles to travel in a uniform and safe manner on highways. Thesignificance of these control devices may not be as clear to international drivers that cross the UnitedStates border and travel on US roadways. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) isresponsible for ensuring that the TCDs are placed and maintained in good condition to guide the motoristalong Texas roadways and in work zone areas on roadways. TxDOT spends billions of dollars onconstructing and maintaining thousands of miles of roadways in Texas. Construction and maintenancesection of roadways create disruptions in traffic flow. Special TCDs are therefore used at these locationsto facilitate smooth flow of traffic in affected areas. Numerous accidents have been recorded in work zoneareas on Texas roadways. Approximately 30% work zone road signs are represented by symbols and 70%are represented with written signs. Drivers who travel across work zones need to understand these writtensigns and the need to cross these areas safely without injury to themselves and other motorists on theroad.The study is focused on a) the ability of international drivers' knowledge and understanding ofTCDs in work zones along Texas highways especially within the Border Region of Texas, and b) theeffect of their misunderstanding of TCDs on themselves and other motorist. Survey evaluations ofMexican motorist understanding of TCD signs and a channelization device were used in this analysis. Thesurvey was divided into four parts: a) demographic characteristics, b) understanding of 11 alphanumericsigns, c) one channelization device, and d) four signs that convey the same message. One hundred andforty motorists were surveyed in five Mexican cities along the Texas-Mexico border from Matamoros,Tamp (border with Brownsville, TX) to Ciudad Acuña (Border with Del Rio, Tx.) and the city ofMonterrey, N.L. Mexico.The following recommendations were made from this study: a) need to modify the Texas Manualon Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TxMUTCD), b) change in the Transportation Engineers designpractice to develop traffic control plans for work zone areas, c) additional effort by TxDOT to provideinformation and help to Mexican motorist in Spanish language. These recommendations should beimplemented in corporation with the Mexican Transportation Agency.