10-26-2005 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Zagittliailetermo Electronic message center displays are commonly used in sports arenas and other public facilities because of their versatility, exceptional visibility in virtually all weather conditions, advertising versatility, and attractive and crowd - pleasing visual quality sources to produce images and text. These light sources may include: • Light Emitting Diode (LED) - This type of EMC has a matrix of LEDs. LED electronic sign displays provide good resolution, are energy- efficient, and are long-lasting. LED technology, first developed in the 1990s, has continued to improve, increasing light output and reducing LED degradation, thus extending the life of the LED light source. • Incandescent lamps - This type of EMC uses a matrix of incandescent bulbs. Its messages can easily be seen and read across a wide viewing range and often for a long distance. Multicolored displays can be created by clustering several different colored bulbs together to create pixels, which are then mounted on panels. Incandescent lamp screens are bright and suitable for operation in direct sunlight. • Wedge -based low voltage lamp - This type of message center consists of small diameter light bulbs with a wedge- shaped base inserted into . parabolic reflectors similar to those found in an automobile taillight. Several bulbs may then be covered with different colored lenses and arranged into pixels. The result is a very bright display that works well in direct sunlight. Like most Tamp displays, it offers a wide viewing range. Fluorescent Discs - Also known as "flip disc" or "split flap," this technology uses electromagnets to mechanically tuns or "flip" discs mounted on pivots in a specific sequence to reveal the reflective material, forming letters signline 1O.p or numbers. Depending on ambient lighting, the signs can take advantage of sunlight or hidden fluorescent light bulbs to illuminate reflective material on each disc, or pixel. • Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) — These signs are virtual television screens, with CRTs mounted in arrays. They are utilized in very large, expensive message centers to produce full color images, and are commonly featured in sports arenas. raffle Safety Electronic message centers are not a distraction to drivers; in fact, it is quite the contrary. Their exceptional readability and conspicuity means that EMCs actually increase driver safety. The federal government recognizes the superior communication value of EMCs and uses electronic information panels on many freeways to warn drivers of possible hazards. Its use of portable electronic warning signs at construction or accident sites is also increasing. Airports and state highway departments are also developing expertise in positioning and sizing of these signs to enable the driver to read, react and move through traffic with optimum safety. The federal government and other reviewers, after conducting numerous studies, analyzing court cases, and reviewing the available literature, have concluded that signs and electronic message centers, if used properly, are traffic safety enhancement devices. Variable message signs, whose content can be changed or altered on a fixed display surface, are recognized by the federal government as different from the regulated 3/1212003. 12:45 PM d yr