Author(s)

K. Domke, K. Wandachowicz, M. Zalesińska, S. Mroczkowska & P. Skrzypczak

Abstract

Electroluminescent diodes have become increasingly popular on outdoor billboards for the last few years, all over the world. Digital billboards with electroluminescent diodes are large, have high luminance and display dynamically changing images. Billboards located near streets are a potential threat to traffic safety. The paper presents requirements for such billboards, the results and analysis of measurements of selected billboards located in Poznań, Poland, as well as conclusions and recommendations for large size billboards with light emitting diodes located in the vicinity of roads and intersections. Keywords: light engineering, digital billboards, road safety. 1 Introduction With the development of the technology of light emitting diodes (LED), large size billboards with electroluminescent diodes have come to our towns. These billboards are usually large, have high luminance and show dynamically changing images. Car, bus and rail vehicle drivers complain that glaring billboards located in their field of vision are uncomfortable to look at and interfere with normal driving tasks, especially in the evening and at night. Billboards located near streets are a potential threat to traffic safety. The current Polish standards on outdoor lighting and road lighting specify no explicit requirements for this type of billboards. The currently valid requirements specify maximum luminance and luminous intensity values of signs, including billboards emitting light (or illuminated ones). However, the location of the billboard towards the observer, its angular diameter, distance from the main

Keywords

light engineering, digital billboards, road safety