Southern California Sign Blog

Why Your Property Should Comply With New Traffic Regulations

Did you know that new U.S. traffic regulations governing the design, size and reflectivity could affect you? The law affects all privately owned property that qualifies as a being open to public travel. Under this category, you will expect shopping centers, condominiums, hotels, restaurants and hospitals among others to be affected by the new regulatory requirements. If your property is found to have violated the new law and that an accident occurs as a result of non-compliance, you could be liable for all the damages.

The amendments on the US code (U.S.C) by the Federal Highway Administration requiring private property to install the right signs has been informed by the fact that property accidents have been on the rise and that fatalities from these accidents have had a serious impact on the lives of the affected persons.

Retroreflective signs that are properly sized and well installed have been found to improve road safety and reduce highway departure crashes. Since the color, and hence retroreflectivity, of the roadway signs fade with time, property owners are now required by law to ensure that their signs are clearly visible, especially during the night.

A recent report by the FHWA reveals that fatalities at night are three times than during the day. The FHWA estimates that there are about 1,200 fatalities annually occurring on property open to public travel and that 20 percent of traffic accidents occur on private property while 21 percent of all accident claims are those that relate to accidents that occur on private property.

What should Private Property Owners do to comply with the new regulations?

Property owners need to conduct a comprehensive inspection to determine if their property complies with the new regulations. Where the color of the signs have faded, do not have the right color, size or design, owners should replace them. Signs with the wrong height or angle should be corrected as well. They should also replace missing, unclear or hidden signs.

The laws shall be applied in their entirety by 2015, meaning that low-grade reflectivity shall still be accepted until then. By complying with the new regulations now, property owners will have spread over the cost of installing the signs. Property owners need to evaluate their signs, identify those that are non-compliant, replace them with compliant signs.

Who can help you comply with the new traffic regulation?

The Sign Studio has experienced staff to help bring all your property signs up to speed with the new traffic regulation. They can inspect your property to ensure that everything is checked, corrected or updated to meet the current standards. Whether your signs have wrong installation height, color or size, the experts will make necessary changes.

After the installation of signs on your private property, they can also help facilitate the inspection by the local authorities for subsequent issuance of citations and certification. Since your property is the largest investment that you may have, you do not want to expose it to irrecoverable risks, and as such, you want to comply fully to ensure you access full limit claims in the event of a loss. If you are all property owners, you will want to minimize your liability as much as possible, and compliance with the new traffic regulation on retroreflectivity is a great way of cushioning yourself from excess liability. If you are not quite sure if your property complies with the regulation, contact, the Sign Studio, a licensed sign company with the knowledge on the new amendments to assess the property and recommend what should be taken, including performing a complete overhaul of the property signs.

For further informaiton on "Why Your Property Should Comply With New Traffic Regulations" please send us an e-mail at info@signstudiola.com or give us a call at (818) 843-9200. 

Looking for MUTCD Signs? All Reflective and Approved Signs In Stock

The Sign Studio is the place to visit for all sorts of signs that meet the standards set out by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). They have highway signs, traffic signs, warning signs, regulatory signs, standard signs and all sorts of other signage. See MUTCD Poster of all graphics.

The MUTCD sets out a number of regulations for these types of signs. That is why it is so important for them to meet these qualifications. For instance, regulatory signs must be illuminated or retroreflective so that they show their shape and the color that they give off during the day at night. The illumination from a streetlight or some other road lighting is not enough to satisfy these requirements. 

Every one of these signs needs to be the right size and have the same dimensions as other signs of the similar type. This is to ensure that these signs are easily recognizable to drivers who may be moving at a very fast rate of speed and trying to stay safe while driving alongside other vehicles. These regulations are very important to the safety of everyone on the road. It is so important to purchase these signs from a shop that pays close attention to the regulations set out by the MUTCD.

Every aspect of the appearances of these signs is so important. One slight mistake can be found to be illegal. However, the visual aspect of the ways in which these signs are produced are not the only thing that users and installers need to keep in mind. They also need to be sure to place these signs in the right locations. They need to secure them properly. They need to mount them at the right angles. There are numerous regulations for how these signs need to be positioned to stay within the regulations upon which everyone has agreed. Anyone who is using these signs needs to be sure that they follow every rule set forth in the MUTCD.

The Sign Studio pays close attention to every one of the regulations outlined in the MUTCD. They take pride in making sure that every sign they sell meets all requirements exactly. Anyone who is involved in posting highway signs, reflective signs, traffic signs, regulatory signs or warning signs needs to visit the Sign Studio and see what they have to offer them. They are sure to be very impressed by what they find there.  If The Sign Studio does not have them in stock, they will make them within a 24hr turnaround. 

If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to call The Sign Studio at (818) 843-9200 or send an e-mail to info@signstudiola.com.

Don't take chances with handicap signs at your business, we make handicap signs from restrooms to parking spaces. Our signs meet the high standards required by the AMA and we know where and how high to put them!

Accessible handicap parking spaces must be positioned at the closest accessible entrance to the facility. The space has to be big enough for a vehicle, at least 96 inches wide, with additional space on either left or right that acts as an access isle and should be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Two accessible spaces can share an access isle.

A sign with the international symbol of accessibility must be located in front of the parking space, mounted high enough to be visible at all times. Van accessible spaces are to have additional signage stating "Van-Accessible" mounted below the international symbol of accessibility. The AMA states that the letters and numbers on signs are to have a width-to-height ratio between 3:5 and a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1:5 and 1:10. Minimum character height is 3 inches. Confused? Don't worry, we at The Sign Studio understand all of it and will supply you with signs which meet all the standards for handicap parking.

We do all handicap signs including restrooms.

 

 

 

 

How Important Traffic and Directional Signs Really Are............

TRAFFIC DIRECTIONAL SIGNS

Lead the way with Directional Traffic Signs! Prevent confusion by clearly marking Entrances and Exits to parking lots and facilities. Keep your traffic flowing effortlessly with a well marked lot.

A direction sign, more fully defined as a direction, position, or indication sign is any road sign used primarily to give information about the location of either the driver or possible destinations, and are considered a subset of the informative signs group. Direction signs are far more varied internationally than other classes of sign.

Direction signs are the oldest type of road sign. Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel where language differences would create barriers, and in general to help enhance traffic safety. Such pictorial signs use symbols (often silhouettes) in place of words and are usually based on international protocols. Such signs were first developed in Europe, and have been adopted by most countries to varying degrees.

The Sign Studio provides street and traffic signs to help keep your roads safe and traffic flowing at a good pace. Traffic signs are a good way to inform drivers of areas that are entrances or exits only, alert them to upcoming speed bumps or closed roads and many other traffic warnings. Made from durable and reflective material, The Sign Studio's traffic signs are the perfect solution to your traffic control needs.
Point people in the right direction with these long lasting and well made signs.

• One Way, Entrance and Delivery signs direct people and let them know where to go.
• Directional Traffic Signs keep your parking lot, mall or road organized.
• Post signs to prevent accidents.

List of most common Traffic Directional Signs

Buckle Up-Seat Belt Signs
Crossing Signs
STOP Signs
Exit Signs
Crosswalk Signs
Do Not Enter Signs
Evacuation Signs
Pedestrian Crossing Signs
Prohibitive Traffic Signs
Reserved Parking
Dead End
No Turn On Red
No Left Turn
No Right Turn
No Turn Around
Do Not Block Intersection
No Thru Traffic
Private Road No Thru Traffic
Not A Thru Street
One Way
Two Way Traffic Ahead
No An Exit
Exit Only Do Not Enter
Slower Traffic Keep Right
Arrow Signs
Wrong Way
Bump Sign
Dip Sign
Dead Zone
Employee Entrance Only
Fasten Seat Belt
No Dumping Under Penalty of Law

We also custom design and make any Traffic Directional Sign you may need, just give us a call at (818) 843-9200 or send us an e-mail with you request at thesignstudio@sbcglobal.net

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Do you need Regulatory/Traffic Signs, Health and Safety Signs  or ADA/Handicap Signs?  

If you are a business owner, you understand that you must provide parking for visitors to your establishment if you are going to generate any kind of traffic at all. While most business storefronts already have some form of parking available, just taking it for granted that everyone will be able to locate a spot for them will just not be good enough. As a matter of fact there are some things that the authorities consider a must if you are going to provide proper parking for your customers. Handicap signs, regulatory signs, Health and Safety signs must all be in place or you may not just miss out on some great business, but you could even be fined a hefty sum.

Designated visitor and employee spaces are a must if you are going to be able to handle all the traffic that comes your way, and don't forget to place signs that warn violators that they may just be towed away. No one wants to injure another person for parking in a spot that is not for their use, but let's face it, if there are no parking spaces left, your customers may just go somewhere else.

Using handicap signs, regulatory signs, Health and Safety signs are just the beginning of the types of parking signs that are a necessary part of doing business these days, so make sure you have all of yours in place to accommodate the needs of your clients.

Don't take chances with handicap signs at your business, we make handicap signs from restrooms to parking spaces. Our signs meet the high standards required by the AMA and we know where and how high to put them!

Accessible handicap parking spaces must be positioned at the closest accessible entrance to the facility. The space has to be big enough for a vehicle, at least 96 inches wide, with additional space on either left or right that acts as an access isle and should be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Two accessible spaces can share an access isle.

A sign with the international symbol of accessibility must be located in front of the parking space, mounted high enough to be visible at all times. Van accessible spaces are to have additional signage stating "Van-Accessible" mounted below the international symbol of accessibility. The AMA states that the letters and numbers on signs are to have a width-to-height ratio between 3:5 and a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1:5 and 1:10. Minimum character height is 3 inches. Confused? Don't worry, we at The Sign Studio understand all of it and will supply you with signs which meet all the standards for handicap parking.

We do all handicap signs including restrooms.

 

 

 

TRAFFIC SIGNS AND PARKING SIGNS - For Your Safety and Direction.  Custom or Standard.

Traffic signs provide proper safety messaging and direction throughout your roadways and parking lots. Parking Signs maintain an organized and regulated parking lot. Parking Signs make it easy to provide specific directions and eliminate confusion. Traffic signs and Parking signs improve safety, prevent accidents and post your policies. Depending on what your needs are, you may want to consider reflective, high-intensity or engineer-grade made out of aluminum, steel or polyethylene.   

HOW TO MAKE YOUR TRAFFIC SIGN LAST LONGER -

All traffic and parking signs from all manufacturers are basically made from the same materials - steel, aluminum or plastic.  These materials are susceptible to:

  - Fading from sun damage
  - Rust from rain and mist
  - Cracking from the cold winds
  - Graffiti from vandals

This can be prevented with a special, unique topcoat called Duroshield.  Duroshield is a tedlar laminate on top of the vinyl sign face which is adhered to the sign's raw material.  This special laminate is so tough that it is able to stand up to the harshest weather conditions and chemicals.  The topcoat is graffiti-resistant blocking solvents and chemicals, allowing graffiti to clean right off and never damage the sign face. 

For more information or questions, please e-mail thesignstudio@sbcglobal.net or give us a call at (818) 843-9200.

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