Design tasks Road equipment There is a firm tradition in Denmark of limiting the use of roadside equipment and the equipment used is standardized and simplified as far as possible. With design aimed at simple systematization and good readability, Danish road signs present clearly understandable messages. One special problem in the open countryside is the demand for readability at great distances and high speeds. Information signs are consequently often quite dominating and special attention must be paid to where the signs are placed. It is important for how we experience the landscape, the road, or a building that signs be located appropriately in relation to them. We rarely associate suburban roads with design, but they usually do have standardized equipment such as bus stops, benches, fences, lighting fixtures, and bicycle racks.
MILEWIDE won the Danish Road Directorate’s 1995 design competition for noise screens and road equipment. The winning entry was designed and later developed by Knud
Although Denmark traditionally makes use of good design, an overall approach too often seems lacking when signs and other furnishings are erected. Denmark has produced some well-designed equipment in recent years, and work is still being done to develop products that meet the more stringent requirements set for the suburban road milieu.
Holscher Industrial Design in collaboration with the Danish Road Directorate. MILEWIDE is a comprehensive range of road equipment and street furniture. It covers
A number of municipalities have drawn up design manuals in their efforts to beautify the city center. Plans for signage and lighting have also made an important contribution to urban beautification.
everything from expressway and road signage, mast systems, lighting fixtures, and bus shelters to street signals. All the components in MILEWIDE’s range are homogeneous parts that make up an aesthetic whole.
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Beautiful Roads - A Handbook of Road Architecture
