5Benefits#

Real-time motorist information displays, particularly VMS, are playing increasingly important roles in attempts to improve highway safety, operation, and use of existing infrastructure. Highway VMS are traffic control devices used for warning, regulation, routing and managing of traffic, and are designed to affect the behavior of motorists (thus improve the flow of traffic) by providing real-time highway related information.

VMS devices are expensive and are intended for certain conditions and special uses. Their effectiveness depends on proper design (including conspicuity and legibility), placement, message design, display of the best message for the conditions and motorist understanding of the messages. Experience with the operation of VMS throughout Australia and the rest of the world is that motorists are more likely to be influenced by a VMS if the information displayed on the sign is directly relevant to the driving task.

Displaying messages that are too long for motorists to read at prevailing highway speeds or that are too complex or inappropriately designed, can adversely affect traffic flow and safety and the credibility of information displayed on VMS.

Since VMS are one of the visible components of TMR’s ITS platform, failure to use VMS to adequately communicate information to motorists may lead to public dissatisfaction with ITS equipment.