Strategic Thinking
There will also be the need for an agency to determine how they will improve their current processes to incorporate the new methods and procedures. Various strategies and tactics may be used to implement new methods and procedures given current practices, available resources, and the will of the community.
Strategies can be defined as the basic schemes that agencies would choose to employ to assure that the traffic they are responsible for meet the requirements (agencies may opt to set higher requirements than the minimums). For example, a strategy may be to initiate a total sign replace program that will assure adequacy over time based on warranty time replacements. Another strategy might be to conduct b—annual night inspections to identify signs that need replacement. Each agency will need to define a strategy for initially determining the adequacy of their signs and subsequently to upgrade and maintain them. Viable strategies may include:
- Accelerate the current sign replacement process now, to have signs well within warranty in place by the effective date of the requirements.
- Conduct a full-scale inspection of signs to determine those that fail to meet requirements or are close to failing. Put replacement of this signs on the top of the priority list.
- Plan to conduct annual inspections on arterials and freeway type highways and a b-annual inspection of all other roads.
- Adopt a more stringent sign replacement criteria to assure that a desireable level of retroreflectivity is provided for the community.
- Link sign inventory to overall asset management process.
It is important to understand the key elements of a strategy and the associated costs and benefits over time of adopting the strategy in making a decision.
There are also a variety of tactics that can be employed to execute the strategy. An agency may choose to use various combinations of the following tactics:
- Use indirect measurement methods to assure "safe" inspection of overhead signs.
- Use minimally intrusive methods on major arterials to avoid congestion problems.
- Consider cost-effective, expedient drive-by (windshield) inspections on collector and local streets.
- Limit replacements on sections where road improvements will involve new signage.
- Initiate program by replacing "critical" signs.
- Assess impacts of problems with vandalism in making sign design and replacement decisions.
- Add warranty information or code on new signs to facilitate assessments of performance over time.
In making decisions, it is important that agencies consider the role of sign inventory systems, comparative assessment of measurement equipment, guidance on safe operations on streets and highways, data management and quality control methods, and calibration methods also have to be addressed. It is not possible to provide specific plans to suit each agency, but it is possible to outline the possible strategies and tactics that may employ.
