Impacts of experimental advisory exit speed sign on traffic speeds for freeway exit ramp

Many crashes occur around freeway exit ramp areas in China due to excessive speeds and large speed variances. Traditionally, a single posted ramp speed limit sign is installed around the physical gore area to manage the speed. To address this issue, the study presented in this paper proposes the use of an advisory exit speed sign (AESS), which is an additional exit speed limit sign positioned along the deceleration lane to accommodate the speed changes ahead of the physical gore. The study selected three sites with similar exit ramp configurations and two scenarios (with AESS/without AESS) to quantify the influences of the AESS on the speed of exiting vehicles. The speed profiles of 480 vehicles were obtained based on 12 hours of data collection. A t-test was applied to verify the reduction in mean speed between the two scenarios. The results show that the AESS in this study was effective in reducing the mean speed and 85th percentile speed, especially in the taper and deceleration lane. It was clearly seen that drivers began to decelerate in advance when the AESS was installed, which led to a smooth deceleration process, especially on the segment between the theoretical gore and the physical gore. The AESS was also helpful in reducing speeding to some extent. Although the effects of the AESS on speed reduction at curved ramps were not ideal, the speed fluctuation range tended to be more contracted when the AESS was installed. This paper provides useful information for researchers, managers, and engineers when considering the implementation of AESS.