Color messages are used to help motorists navigate to gate entrances into the Dallas Fair Park.  Fair Park covers 277 acres, has 12 entrances, and parking for 18,000 vehicles.  The park contains nine museums and six performance facilities, including the 68,000-seat Cotton Bowl.  Before the addition of the dynamic message sign system, motorists had to rely on static signs that were color-coded by venue to navigate to their destination.  Because there are so many venues and entrances, drivers often had difficulty finding the correct entrance quickly and effectively.  Confused motorists increased traffic delays on the roadways. 

Sixteen overhead signs have been installed (See Map).  The signs allow a maximum of three lines of information with 20 characters per line.  Text is displayed in 12-inch tall, all capital letters.  Text information includes elements such as the name of the venue or destination, guidance information such as "RIGHT LANE" or "NEXT 2 GATES," and lane control arrows.  Each sign can simultaneously display guidance information for multiple venues.  Each venue is assigned a color, which is displayed as the background for the text guidance information.  When multiple venues are located in the same general direction, they may share a background color.  Sign text is displayed in a color that contrasts with the background (light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background).  The most commonly used color combinations are amber on black, white on blue, white on green, and white on brown. Software enhancements allow sign operators to choose from a full color palate, which will allow greater control over the contrast of letters against the background field.

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