MoDOT Waits for a Green Light for New Red-Light Running Sign

With the continued interest in automated enforcement throughout the state, MoDOT has proposed the use of a new sign that will more effectively designate where red-light running cameras are in use than the current sign does, and it will save the department time and money, too.

“With more and more municipalities becoming interested in photo enforcement, it makes sense for the development of a sign to alert motorists of this specific intersection type,” said State Traffic Engineer Eileen Rackers. “With an increase in photo-enforced intersections, this streamlined sign will cut costs and installation time.”

Currently an automated enforcement plaque is added to a Signal Ahead sign to indicate that an automated enforcement intersection is ahead (see diagram). That may create a problem, however, because a Signal Ahead sign is used to alert motorists about an approaching signal in places where there is limited sight distance. The addition of an automated enforcement plaque to the Signal Ahead sign may actually minimize the effectiveness of the sign’s original purpose.

The new signs are modeled after a standard design used by the state of California. Currently, an application has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for use of these signs in Missouri.

The new Automated Enforcement sign will save time and money because it combines the message of two separate signs into one, saving approximately $60 per sign in production and material costs and reducing installation time.

It will also be more effective because it uses an entirely different design than the Signal Ahead sign. The Automated Enforcement sign has a white background, which symbolizes a regulatory message, rather than the Signal Ahead sign’s yellow background, which symbolizes a warning sign.

 “We are now in the process of conducting a study to determine if motorists understand the new sign,” said Ryan Pierce, D6 intermediate traffic studies specialist.

The new signs will be installed and tested in the city of Arnold. Based upon the findings of this study and approval from the FHWA to expand the program, these new signs may be used statewide.