276 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Even on a scenic highway, the pleasure traveler making his first 

 trip definitely needs direction signs guiding him to the specific places 

 of recreation, specific food and lodging, and specific historic sites 

 planned as stopping points on his pleasure trip. 



Billboards are not subject to any government control in the vicinity 

 of the new resort of Hilton Head Island, yet, by joint action of the 

 food and lodging industry on the island, and the South Carolina State 

 Highway Department, locally sponsored billboards are rare, prin- 

 cipally because neat, attractive, and highly visible clusters of uniform 

 directional arrows have been placed on upright standards at all 

 strategic intersections. These groups of arrows provide the traveler 

 with the specific information he needs. These specific locator arrows 

 eliminate the greatest single annoyance on the highway in the opinion 

 of 62 percent of those who replied to the AAA questionnaire; namely, 

 the problem of confusing or inadequate directional signs. 



Since each local inn, motel, golf course, and like facility, through 

 the cooperation of the South Carolina Highway Department and 

 local interests, is assured space on sufficient sign standards for a uni- 

 form arrow giving the facility's name, and mileage directions to the 

 traveler, the local commercial or business pressure for billboards and 

 signs even in commercial areas is sharply reduced. Their complete 

 elimination even in commercial areas is probable. 



To make driving on scenic roads a pleasure, and to alert the 

 motorist to location of the scenic roads, adequate provision should 

 be made for the design of an approved uniform system of directional 

 arrows to provide direction on scenic roads to the specific food, lodge, 

 recreation, historical, and scenic spots serving, or sought by, the 

 recreational traveler, identified by name, direction, and mileage. 



The total number of such directional signs on the road or at an 

 intersection should be subject to initial approval and submission to 

 State authorities by the local governing body in each county in which 

 the scenic road is located. To reduce the number of requests from 

 private business interests for such directional arrows, they should be 

 limited to facilities serving the basic needs of the recreational traveler, 

 and further, a uniform charge should be levied, to both defray the 

 cost of constructing and erecting the arrows, together with a supple- 

 mental license fee of $25 or $50 per directional arrow for the beauti- 

 fication fund. 



Scenic highway regulations permitting and controlling such public 

 and private informational signs, of uniform size and quality, could 



