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Subject: RE:REQUEST TO EXPERIMENT USING "RV FRIENDLY" SYMBOL Date: April 1, 2003
From:

Department of Transportation
Traffic Management Section
355 Capitol Street NE, Fifth Floor
Salem, OR 97301-3871
Phone (503) 986-3568
Fax (503) 986-4063

Reply to
Attn. of:
HOTO-1
To:

Shelley J. Row, P.E.
Director, Office of Transportation Operations
Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

   

Dear Ms. Row:

The Oregon Travel Information Council (TIC), a state agency separate from the Oregon Department of Transportation that administers the Interstate Logo and Tourist Oriented Destination sign programs in our state, was recently approached by a national Recreational Vehicle (RV) organization with a proposal for an "RV Friendly" symbol program that could prove to be a beneficial aid to the safety and convenience of drivers of large RVs.

Motorists driving RVs and motor homes, and/or towing trailers, have difficulty identifying and locating service facilities that have large parking spaces and other amenities that over-sized vehicles need. Drivers of RVs wanting to stop at restaurants, tourist attractions, and other facilities are faced with uncertainty that they will be able to safely maneuver into a business until they arrive and enter.

If the facility does not have adequate space for parking or turning around they may be faced with having to turn their large vehicles around sometimes in unsafe situations. Faced with those doubts and the fear of getting into a tough spot, RV motorists may bypass destinations and businesses not knowing that they could have been well accommodated to park, to buy fuel, or to camp.

This problem could be alleviated by advance symbol signing that would alert RV motorists of facilities that catered to the special needs of large vehicles. If these symbols were attached to the Logo signs of qualified facilities, RV motorists would know with confidence that those businesses would provide them with an easily accessible and maneuverable destination.

Enclosed for your review and approval is a more detailed description of the proposed experiment using a format given to the TIC by members of your office. Also enclosed are photographs of the proposed symbol. The TIC will be responsible for completing the evaluation. If you need any additional information or have any revisions to the proposed experiment or evaluation plan, please contact me at 503-986-3606 or Mr. Jim Renner of the Oregon Travel Information Council at 503-373-0870.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

Edward L. Fischer, P.E.
State Traffic Engineer

cc: Nick Forte, Salem, FHWA Division Office
Jim Renner, TIC

(both w/ attachments)

EF:dpy

Enclosure

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