A Suggested Improvement for the Course

[Elmo Zoneball]

I keep reading about driver's missing their chute flag and not turning when they are supposed to, and have a suggestion that could help solve that problem and also make driving the course more user friendly.

I propose that easily readable signs with numeric designation be sequentially fastened to the parking meter posts in the chute, lowest number near the bottom, highest near the top (of the chute, not the parking meter post!) The signs would be made of poster board, foam board, or similar material that won't cause injury in a wreck. I envision them being something like 1 -2' in size (roughly the size of speed limit sign) for easy visibility from the top of the chute. It is imperative the location of the numerical signs remain consistent from FR to FR and for the race.

Drivers could be instructed (especially newbies) to "Start your turn at #3" .... and then they can fine tune their subsequent turn-in points as they deem appropriate, using the sequential numerical signs as guide posts. I would add a stripe of paint at each parking meter post, perpendicular to the curbing, on the pavement sticking out into the street, so the driver can tell when he/she is passing over that mark.

This system is similar to the markers used in auto racing as a driver approaches a corner -- there are numerical signs that indicate the remaining distance to the entrance of the next corner on the track -- the drivers typically use the numbers to know when to get off the gas and onto the brakes and still make it around the corner. For Sweepstakes, the sequential numbering would simply be an aid to knowing when to turn in, and is an adjunct to the corner flagger.

In order facilitate driver visibility, onlookers would have to stay back behind the parking meters.

Alternatively, the signs could be placed in between hay bales instead of on the parking meter posts (this is probably the best location for visibility reasons.) The point is to uniformly space the signs and paint stripes so the drivers have a "count down" to their preferred turn-in point, and gives them something else to go by if they can't see the flagger very well.

Lastly, in keeping with the nerdly tradition of CMU, I propose the sequence of parking meter post numerical signs use the following sequence: from bottom to top of the chute: -1, 0, 1, sqrt2, 2, e, 3 pi, 4, etc.... (sign placement is not to scale)

[swiftsam]

You can always count on Elmo Zoneball for some good ideas. A couple of immediate reactions ...

• Why do we think drivers are missing their turns? I don't think it's because the flag is hard to see, more likely that they are having internal visibility problems or are just brand new and a little overwhelmed with how fast everything is happening. The consistency of permanent markers and lead-up of a count down would both address that, but I just want to be clear on what we think the problem is.
• I think missing the transition flag is actually more common than missing the chute flag because drivers mistakenly focus on following the lines on the road. There are no lines when they approach the chute.
• Interestingly, having a chute flagger is currently required by rule 8.1.3. I wonder if a team had a system they preferred to a manual flag whether they would be allowed to use it.

[Elmo Zoneball]

You can always count on Elmo Zoneball for some good ideas. A couple of immediate reactions ...

• Why do we think drivers are missing their turns? I don't think it's because the flag is hard to see, more likely that they are having internal visibility problems or are just brand new and a little overwhelmed with how fast everything is happening. The consistency of permanent markers and lead-up of a count down would both address that, but I just want to be clear on what we think the problem is.
• I think missing the transition flag is actually more common than missing the chute flag because drivers mistakenly focus on following the lines on the road. There are no lines when they approach the chute.
• Interestingly, having a chute flagger is currently required by rule 8.1.3. I wonder if a team had a system they preferred to a manual flag whether they would be allowed to use it.

As for the chute , I was suggesting the sequential numbers as an adjunct to the chute flagger. There's no reason to not have BOTH. (If it works really well, it might be possible to make the chute flagger optional.)


Braking zone signs from the backside, visible on the left side of track. They are typically numbered as multiples of 100 feet e.g., "3" - "2" - "1."

AS for the transition, how about a HUGE sign that is fluorescent "meat ball," or a target "bullseye"



set up on the edge of the top of the chute, to give drivers an aiming point, and tell newbies "After you make the turn on the flats, aim 3 feet to the right of the big huge bullseye..." You might even want to designate someone to shake or wave the huge target sign when buggies are approaching, just to help out the newbies. Make it at least 3 feet across, err, I mean about a meter in diameter. A design person could make up a design with a buggy silhouetted in the center.....

[Elmo Zoneball]

For illustrative purposes, here's a photo of distance markers used on big runways -- they denote the number of thousands of feet remaining to the end of the runway. They are useful for pilots in big aircraft to judge if they are accelerating fast enough to get off the runway. For a given load, temperature and altitude condition, the pilots can look up what their takeoff distance should be, and if they aren't at the appropriate speed at a certain distance, they know they need to abort the takeoff.

Similarly, on landing, if the brakes fail, it tells them how long they have to put their head between their knees and kiss their *ss goodbye!

[hmrose87]

Drivers aren't having problems seeing the chute flag, at least from what I've heard. I think the main problem is that the new drivers haven't been told that you don't really see the entrance to the chute until you start turning. That's why the chute flag is there. Just start turning when you get to it and the chute entrance will come in to view. Then just go for it.

[shafeeq]

I've known drivers who used other landmarks more than the flags. Especially with standard trikes where the flag would be hidden behind the wheel until the last second, so if you could see it, you knew you were in the wrong place. We were never quite sure how they were supposed to know if it was a stop, go, or no flag at all if they never saw it...

In the late 90's, the road had painted T markers between parking spaces, which drivers loved because they could tell their position left-right and distance along the course. After the markings wore off and were not replaced, I think some driving difficulties are more common than before.

With the transition flag, one issue was that due to the slope of the road, and the limited vertical visibility from the buggy, if the meatball was high enough to see from the start of the transition, it would be too high to see at the end. I suppose a vertically stretched target would solve that. Some teams, Pioneers in particular, didn't use a transition flagger for several years.