Intuitive wayfinding signs can complement bicycling route networks, giving bicyclists a better idea of where they’re going and how to get there.Navigating by bike isn’t always as simple as following a bike trail to its end. Often, suggested bike routes may not be easily identified without a map, leaving bicyclists to guess at how to best navigate to their destinations. In Arlington, Virginia, an ongoing wayfinding project is working to make it easier to navigate the county’s irregular street grid and numerous on- and off-street bike routes. Writing on the BikeArlington blog, Arlington bicycle and pedestrian programs manager David Goodman explains that the process of establishing wayfinding signs isn’t as simple as pointing an arrow in any cardinal direction.
“To be helpful, such a signage system has to do two things very well: First, it has to work at multiple scales. That is, it has to help you locate yourself and your destination in the big picture, while also giving you turn-by-turn directions to get to that destination. Second, the system needs to be consistent. In other words, it can’t use one name for a place on some signs, but call it something else on others. (W-L High School vs. Washington-Lee?) The signs also shouldn’t guide you towards one destination for miles and then drop it in favor of something else once you get close.”
To operate on these multiple levels, each sign includes two distinct parts: larger directional “blazes,” and destination-centered arrows called “fingerboards.” Together they make up one sign assembly.
“The larger, more prominent ‘blaze’ signs help you understand what direction you’re heading. North/south/east/west orientation doesn’t work so well with Arlington’s skewed, disconnected grids and wiggly worm streets, so these blaze signs use a set of familiar locations to keep you pointed in the right direction. Rosslyn and Ballston represent one pair of on-road coordinates. Chain Bridge and Columbia Pike represent the other.”
For jurisdictions like Arlington where on-street, bike-friendly routes are numerous but don’t have specific names, blaze signs operate more like an interstate sign – think, the overhead markings on I-95 confirming you’re headed toward New York. Passing several on your trip confirms you’re headed in the right direction.
Wayfinding sign assembly in western Arlington
The fingerboards add the more granular information about destinations, distances to fill in the navigational gaps. Goodman refers to them as the “breadcrumbs” that guide bicyclists and let them know when their turn is coming up. Deciding on what deserves signage, and where each sign is placed, involves planners walking each route, identifying points where bicyclists would make a decision on turning, and sorting what kinds of landmarks and districts people actually use for navigation. High schools and business districts make the cut, for example, while elementary schools do not. Additionally, sign assemblies in the western part of Arlington County will also direct riders towards the city of Falls Church, integrating into that area’s recently-implemented wayfinding system and providing riders with more potential destinations.
A sampling of on-street routes, marked in blue, near Ballston.
Through next year, the project will install 400 more sign assemblies, to a total of 850 – enough, Goodman says, to direct riders effectively but not create confusing visual clutter. Taken all together, the signs should provide even novice bicyclists some additional comfort and ease in navigating Arlington County.
Photos: Top, a cyclist in Arlington (Sam Kittner for Mobility Lab, www.kittner.com). Middle, a sign assembly from the wayfinding project (BikeArlington).