Chapter 2F. Specific Service Signs
Section 2F.01 Eligibility
Standard:
Specific Service signs shall be defined as guide signs that provide
road users with business identification and directional information
for services and for eligible attractions.
Guidance:
The use of Specific Service signs should be limited to areas primarily
rural in character or to areas where adequate sign spacing can be maintained.
Option:
Where an engineering study determines a need, Specific Service signs
may be used on any class of highways.
Guidance:
Specific Service signs should not be installed at an interchange where
the road user cannot conveniently reenter the freeway or expressway
and continue in the same direction of travel.
Standard:
Eligible service facilities shall comply with laws concerning the provisions
of public accommodations without regard to race, religion, color, age,
sex, or national origin, and laws concerning the licensing and approval
of service facilities.
The attraction services shall include only facilities which have the primary purpose of providing amusement, historical, cultural, or leisure activities to the public.
Distances to eligible 24-hour pharmacies shall not exceed 4.8 km (3 mi) in any direction of an interchange on the Federal-aid system.
Guidance:
Except as noted in the Option below, distances to eligible services
other than pharmacies should not exceed 4.8 km (3 mi) in any direction.
Option:
If, within the 4.8 km (3 mi) limit, facilities for the services being
considered other than pharmacies are not available or choose not to
participate in the program, the limit of eligibility may be extended
in 4.8 km (3 mi) increments until one or more facilities for the services
being considered chooses to participate, or until 25 km (15 mi) is reached,
whichever comes first.
Guidance:
If State or local agencies elect to provide Specific Service signing,
there should be a statewide policy for such signing and criteria for
the availability of the various types of services. The criteria should
consider the following:
- To qualify for a GAS logo panel, a business should have:
- Vehicle services including gas and/or alternative fuels, oil, and water;
- Modern sanitary facilities and drinking water;
- Continuous operation at least 16 hours per day, 7 days per week for freeways and expressways, and continuous operation at least 12 hours per day, 7 days per week for conventional roads; and
- Public telephone.
- To qualify for a FOOD logo panel, a business should have:
- Licensing or approval, where required;
- Continuous operations to serve at least two meals per day, at least 6 days per week;
- Public telephone; and
- Modern sanitary facilities.
- To qualify for a LODGING logo panel, a business should have:
- Licensing or approval, where required;
- Adequate sleeping accommodations;
- Public telephone; and
- Modern sanitary facilities.
- To qualify for a CAMPING logo panel, a business should have:
- Licensing or approval, where required;
- Adequate parking accommodations; and
- Modern sanitary facilities and drinking water.
- To qualify for an ATTRACTION logo panel, a facility should have:
- Regional significance; and
- Adequate parking accommodations.
Standard:
If State or local agencies elect to provide Specific Service signing
for pharmacies, both of the following criteria shall be met for a pharmacy to qualify for signing:
- The pharmacy shall be continuously operated 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and shall have a State-licensed pharmacist present and on duty at all times; and
- The pharmacy shall be located within 4.8 km (3 mi) of an interchange on the Federal-aid system.
Section 2F.02 Application
Standard:
The number of Specific Service signs along an approach to an interchange
or intersection, regardless of the number of service types displayed,
shall be limited to a maximum of four. In the direction of traffic,
successive Specific Service signs shall be for 24-hour pharmacy, attraction,
camping, lodging, food, and gas services, in that order.
A Specific Service sign shall display the word message GAS, FOOD, LODGING, CAMPING, ATTRACTION, or 24-HOUR PHARMACY, an appropriate directional legend such as the word message EXIT XX, NEXT RIGHT, SECOND RIGHT, or directional arrows, and the related logo sign panels. No more than three types of services shall be represented on any sign or sign assembly. If three types of services are shown on one sign, then the logo panels shall be limited to two for each service (for a total of six logo panels). The legend and logo panels applicable to a service type shall be displayed such that the road user will not associate them with another service type on the same sign. No service type shall appear on more than one sign. The signs shall have a blue background, a white border, and white legends of upper-case letters, numbers, and arrows.
Guidance:
The Specific Service signs should be located to take advantage of natural
terrain, to have the least impact on the scenic environment, and to
avoid visual conflict with other signs within the highway right-of-way.
Option:
General Service signs (see Sections 2D.45
and 2E.51)
may be used in conjunction with Specific Service signs for eligible
types of services that are not represented by a Specific Service sign.
Support:
Examples of Specific Service signs are shown in Figure 2F-1. Examples
of sign locations are shown in Figure 2F-2.
Figure 2F-1 Examples of Specific Service Signs
Figure 2F-2 Examples of Specific Service Sign Locations
Section 2F.03 Logos and Logo Panels
Standard:
A logo shall be either an identification symbol/trademark or a word
message. Each logo shall be placed on a separate logo panel which shall
be attached to the Specific Service sign. Symbols or trademarks used
alone for a logo shall be reproduced in the colors and general shape
consistent with customary use, and any integral legend shall be in proportionate
size. A logo that resembles an official traffic control device shall
not be used.
Guidance:
A word message logo, not using a symbol or trademark, should have a
blue background with white legend and border.
Option:
Where business identification symbols or trademarks are used alone for
a logo, the border may be omitted from the logo panel.
A portion at the bottom of a GAS logo panel may be used to display the legends for alternative fuels (see Section 2E.51) available at the facility. A portion at the bottom of a FOOD logo panel may be used to display the word CLOSED and the day of the week when the facility is closed.
Section 2F.04 Number and Size of Logos and Signs
Guidance:
Sign sizes should be determined by the amount and height of legend and
the number and size of logo panels attached to the sign. All logo panels
on a sign should be the same size.
Standard:
Each Specific Service sign or sign assembly shall be limited to no more
than six logo panels. There shall be no more than four logo panels for
one of the two service types on the same sign or sign assembly.
Support:
Section 2F.08 contains information regarding
Specific Service signs for double-exit interchanges.
Standard:
Each logo panel attached to a Specific Service sign shall have a rectangular
shape with a width longer than the height. A logo panel on signs for
freeways and expressways shall not exceed 1500 mm (60 in) in width and
900 mm (36 in) in height. A logo panel on signs for conventional roads
and ramps shall not exceed 750 mm (30 in) in width and 450 mm (18 in)
in height. The vertical and horizontal spacing between logo panels shall
not exceed 200 mm (8 in) and 300 mm (12 in), respectively.
Support:
Sections 2A.15,
2E.14, and
2E.15 contain
information regarding borders, interline spacing, and edge spacing.
Section 2F.05 Size of Lettering
Standard:
All letters and numerals on Specific Service signs, except on the logo
panels, shall be a minimum height of 250 mm (10 in) for signs on freeways
and expressways, and 150 mm (6 in) for signs on conventional roads and
ramps.
Guidance:
Any legend on a symbol/trademark should be proportional to the size
of the symbol/trademark.
Section 2F.06 Signs at Interchanges
Standard:
The Specific Service signs shall be installed between the previous interchange
and at least 245 m (800 ft) in advance of the Exit Direction sign at
the interchange from which the services are available (see Figure 2F-2).
Guidance:
There should be at least a 245 m (800 ft) spacing between the Specific
Service signs, except for Specific Service ramp signs. However, excessive
spacing is not desirable. Specific Service ramp signs should be spaced
at least 30 m (100 ft) from the exit gore sign, from each other, and
from the ramp terminal.
Section 2F.07 Single-Exit Interchanges
Standard:
At single-exit interchanges, the name of the service type followed by
the exit number shall be displayed on one line above the logo panels.
At unnumbered interchanges, the directional legend NEXT RIGHT (LEFT)
shall be used.
At single-exit interchanges, Specific Service ramp signs shall be installed along the ramp or at the ramp terminal for facilities that have logo panels displayed along the main roadway if the facilities are not readily visible from the ramp terminal. Directions to the service facilities shall be indicated by arrows on the ramp signs. Logo panels on Specific Service ramp signs shall be duplicates of those displayed on the Specific Service signs located in advance of the interchange, but shall be reduced in size.
Guidance:
Specific Service ramp signs should include distances to the service
facilities.
Option:
An exit number plaque (see Section
2E.28) may be used instead of the exit number on the signs located
in advance of an interchange.
The reduced size logo panels and signs also may be installed along the crossroad.
Section 2F.08 Double-Exit Interchanges
Guidance:
At double-exit interchanges, the Specific Service signs should consist
of two sections, one for each exit (see Figure
2F-1).
Standard:
At a double-exit interchange, the top section shall display the logo
panels for the first exit and the bottom section shall display the logo
panels for the second exit. The name of the service type and the exit
number shall be displayed above the logo panels in each section. At
unnumbered interchanges, the word message NEXT RIGHT (LEFT) and SECOND
RIGHT (LEFT) shall be used in place of the exit number. The number of
logo panels on the sign (total of both sections) or the sign assembly
shall be limited to six.
Option:
At a double-exit interchange where there are four logo panels to be
displayed for one of the exits and one or two logo panels to be displayed
for the other exit, the logo panels may be arranged in three rows with
two logo panels per row.
At a double-exit interchange, where a service is to be signed for only one exit, one section of the Specific Service sign may be omitted, or a single exit interchange sign may be used. Signs on ramps and crossroads as described in Section 2F.07 may be used at a double-exit interchange.
Section 2F.09 Signs at Intersections
Standard:
Where both tourist-oriented information (see Chapter
2G) and specific service information would be needed at the same
intersection, the design of the tourist-oriented directional signs shall
be used, and the needed specific service information shall be incorporated.
Guidance:
If Specific Service signs are used on conventional roads or at intersections
on expressways, they should be installed between the previous interchange
or intersection and at least 90 m (300 ft) in advance of the intersection
from which the services are available.
The spacing between signs should be determined on the basis of an engineering study.
Logo panels should not be displayed for a type of service for which a qualified facility is readily visible.
Standard:
If Specific Service signs are used on conventional roads or at intersections
on expressways, the name of each type of service shall be displayed
above its logo panel(s), together with an appropriate legend such as
NEXT RIGHT (LEFT) or a directional arrow on the same line.
Option:
If Specific Service signs are used on conventional roads or at intersections
on expressways, the NEXT RIGHT (LEFT) or other applicable directional
legend or action message may be displayed below instead of above the
logo panels.
Signs similar to Specific Service ramp signs as described in Section 2F.07 may be provided on the crossroad.
Section 2F.10 Signing Policy
Guidance:
Each highway agency that elects to use Specific Service signs should
establish a signing policy that includes, as a minimum, the guidelines
of Section 2F.01 and at least the following
criteria:
- Selection of eligible businesses;
- Distances to eligible services;
- The use of logo panels, legends, and signs conforming with this Manual and State design requirements;
- Removal or covering of logo panels during off seasons for business that operate on a seasonal basis;
- The circumstances, if any, under which Specific Service signs may be used in nonrural areas; and
- Determination of the costs to businesses for initial permits, installations, annual maintenance, and removal of logo panels.
