Creating your road network

The NETWORK module enables you to build a representation of your road network. Road classes are shown clearly with your choice of colour. Information such as link length (miles or kilometers) and speed may also be recorded to help select the preferred routes and to supply mileages to appear on signs. Further refinements such as one way streets and banned turns are represented within SignRoute.

Complete networks may be imported and exported in a variety of formats, with co-ordinate transformation if required.

Generating signing trees

Signing trees represent the pattern of roads signed to each destination. Their use is the key to ensuring that signing is clear, logical and, above all, continuous for all groups of road user.

Once your road network has been created, the SIGNING module will generate signing trees based on your choice of time or distance. These trees may be generated automatically by SignRoute, manually on the network, or by a combination of the two methods. The resulting trees will take into account your criteria for the importance of each destination, which will include the types of sign on which it may appear, and the furthest distances from which it is to be signed.

Signing for cyclists, pedestrians and lorries

Networks which include cycleways and footpaths may also be built in SignRoute. These important modes also deserve continuity and integrity in the signing they use, but are frequently less well served than motorised traffic. Equally, HGVs sometimes need special signing to help them avoid physical weight, height and width restrictions, and to route them around environmentally sensitive areas. SignRoute can apply the general signing plan to the special lorry network and identify automatically those junctions which require ‘alternative route’ signs or black lorry panels.

Deducing sign panels

Once generated, the signing trees can be used by SignRoute to deduce the destinations which should appear on each sign in your network. It will also advise on stacking order and panel colours. Motorways and major developments can also be treated as destinations in their own right. Where too many destinations have been routed through a single junction, SignRoute will enable you to avoid potential overloads.

Checking continuity of existing signing

The EXIST module will generate signing trees from the actual destinations shown on sign faces. SignRoute will then check the continuity of your existing signing, and highlight any gaps or inconsistencies. In addition to a mapped display of any omissions, a report comparing ideal and existing signing is available.

Dealing with network alterations

Changes to the road network, such as restricting access, banning a turn or route renumbering, are likely to affect the existing road signing. The COMPARE module enables any two road networks and signing plans to be superimposed or displayed side-by-side, with the differences highlighted. This powerful tool will, for example, compare existing and proposed signing for any location, and will list all the signs requiring alteration to achieve the desired plan. It may also be used for temporary closures, to identify all the junctions needing diversion signage.

Automatic sign generation

An optional link with our SignPlot sign design system allows finished sign drawings for any junction in EXIST  or SIGNING to be produced fully automatically. This spectacular feature designs map-type and stack-type advance direction signs as well as flag-ended and route-confirmatory signs, all from within SignRoute. The generated signs are correctly spaced to the current Traffic Signs Regulations and include coloured panels and patches, junction names and symbols where appropriate. These designs may be edited or printed (as line drawings or fully coloured) or output as DXF files.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

SignRoute runs under Microsoft Windows (98, XP, NT4, 2000 or Vista) on a 400MHz or faster PC. It requires 64 Mb memory. Network licences for access over a local or wide-area network are available. SignRoute will output to any Windows-compatible colour or mono printer using paper sizes from A4 to A0.