<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Nov 2, 2015, at 5:59 PM, Martin Koppenhoefer <<a href="mailto:dieterdreist@gmail.com" class="">dieterdreist@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"travel time to XY 20 minutes"</span></div></blockquote></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">On Japan’s tollways, this is often done with a single-purpose sign with a variable number, and different color of the numbers to indicate delay time. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">As Japan’s tollway system is really built up, there are a lot of variable and and matrix signs that I have not really seen in the US, (and I have no idea about Europe), so here’s some examples of signs I see every time on the tollway - these are from a small section of tollway coming out of Tokyo. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">so if we are going to have “variable” be a value, these are the kinds of signs that I would expect to find (and have =variable if quantitative data). </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""> - static motorway signs displaying variable information</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Upcoming traffic jams (between exit 4 and 1).</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.978574,139.380073,3a,19y,181.36h,94.25t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-lAuTWLqqcp3icYdDNdWkQ!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.978574,139.380073,3a,19y,181.36h,94.25t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-lAuTWLqqcp3icYdDNdWkQ!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">traffic on the Tokyo downtown expressways</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.803439,139.53568,3a,55.7y,128.85h,99.19t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjCYjDLHWm2WjvgAtmY-qeQ!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.803439,139.53568,3a,55.7y,128.85h,99.19t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjCYjDLHWm2WjvgAtmY-qeQ!2e0</a> </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Upcoming service area & parking areas status ( empty / busy / full )</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.958085,139.382156,3a,23.7y,327.77h,100.84t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sm6vOYbSACGMdcat0meaqQw!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.958085,139.382156,3a,23.7y,327.77h,100.84t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sm6vOYbSACGMdcat0meaqQw!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Travel time to the next exits:</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.956195,139.383457,3a,55.4y,318.43h,104.41t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sImGDgsiePLYiDKhw0nlwiA!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.956195,139.383457,3a,55.4y,318.43h,104.41t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sImGDgsiePLYiDKhw0nlwiA!2e0</a></div><div class="">#11 Maebashi: 40 minutes - green - so no delay.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Speed limit sign </div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.908155,139.44802,3a,37y,307.75h,92.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9-I1yl--QbxjMsYgbYzrNA!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.908155,139.44802,3a,37y,307.75h,92.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9-I1yl--QbxjMsYgbYzrNA!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">- Matrix / digital display signs. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Digital display sign (with yellow and red flashing lights)</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.949678,139.393634,3a,67.2y,125.52h,87.62t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSQkcM7iVZoz8xDu6dFZksw!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.949678,139.393634,3a,67.2y,125.52h,87.62t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSQkcM7iVZoz8xDu6dFZksw!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">2 in a set, one for each direction of upcoming junction</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.923416,139.412672,3a,67.2y,339.09h,92.34t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sxHnCHMPFZTqfOfvJn04-ag!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.923416,139.412672,3a,67.2y,339.09h,92.34t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sxHnCHMPFZTqfOfvJn04-ag!2e0</a> </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">- other electronic signs in places around east Japan: </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">“left tunnel” and “right tunnel” status</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.34082,139.160737,3a,67.2y,312.15h,81.81t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1seTaA7hC3o6TzDeTMpl6GZA!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@35.34082,139.160737,3a,67.2y,312.15h,81.81t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1seTaA7hC3o6TzDeTMpl6GZA!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">(tunnel status signs are a big thing here, almost every tunnel over a 1KM has one, and thats a ton of tunnels... </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Also - traffic signals on a motorway (usually green or off) for tunnel access control - they can stop traffic if there is an earthquake / severe accident / tunnel fire. </div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@36.472914,138.197014,3a,23.7y,289.94h,92.11t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1seJ-2pfwU2WN0q6snyDf0uw!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@36.472914,138.197014,3a,23.7y,289.94h,92.11t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1seJ-2pfwU2WN0q6snyDf0uw!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Stand-alone Temperature on mountain trunk roads</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@36.614074,138.589968,3a,23.7y,190.21h,95.3t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sqXlkT8epGouYgCGG72cd5A!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@36.614074,138.589968,3a,23.7y,190.21h,95.3t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sqXlkT8epGouYgCGG72cd5A!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">being replaced by matrix signs on the same trunk road </div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@36.55772,138.612004,3a,79.3y,295.48h,86.11t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sdW18Ryk5k4D7E8jO_vqi5g!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@36.55772,138.612004,3a,79.3y,295.48h,86.11t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sdW18Ryk5k4D7E8jO_vqi5g!2e0</a> </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">And a radiation measurement sign (from Fukushima disaster) on the Joban expressway.</div><div class=""><a href="http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=438" class="">http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=438</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">And for fun, a (static) monkey warning sign</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@36.343032,138.735866,3a,29.6y,270.73h,93.81t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sfvQZvOYh2QgqSllBRICrkQ!2e0" class="">https://www.google.com/maps/@36.343032,138.735866,3a,29.6y,270.73h,93.81t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sfvQZvOYh2QgqSllBRICrkQ!2e0</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Javbw</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></body></html>