Values of Graphic Art Forms' Usage in Road Traffic Direction and Instruction along Ibadan-Oyo Expressway, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Graphic art forms serve as an effective means of transmitting information through signs and symbols. Graphic communication in road signage should effectively provide direction and instructions on the road to avert accidents. Road accidents along the Ibadan-Oyo Expressway in Nigeria may be due to ineffective road signage usage and limited awareness and knowledge of its communicative values. This paper examined graphic art form usage in road signage, with a view to determining its directional and instructional values to road users. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. 
The study population comprised a total of 15,600 road users, transport associations and traffic management agencies on expressways daily, from which a sample of 200 respondents was randomly selected. The study found that the materials used in producing road traffic signage along expressways were inadequate, and this affected their functionalities. It also revealed that graphic road signage was useful in providing directions to road users, though vandals and bush burning had destroyed most of the signs. Road signs provided instructions to road users, but many were covered by bushes on expressways, and over-speeding was partly caused by poor functionality of road signs. The paper concluded that graphic traffic signage plays an important role as a means of transmitting directional and instructional messages, but it has not been effectively utilised and managed for traffic regulations. It recommended the usage of high-quality materials in producing traffic signage, improved traffic safety education, and increased awareness of the value of road signage.