Ring Road Signs
In order to improve wayfinding for visitors on campus, signs identifying the campus ring road were installed around the campus perimeter. The term “ring road” refers to the series of connecting roads that run around the perimeter of the main campus. The concept was first proposed in the 1970 Campus Development Plan, as a means of physically organizing the campus after the closing of W. Michigan Avenue between Western and Knollwood Avenues.
The function of the Ring Road was to maintain vehicle circulation to, from and around the campus, reserving the center of the campus for pedestrians. The Ring Road—and the pedestrian campus—has been a work in progress ever since.
Unfortunately, wayfinding remains difficult for visitors on campus. The multiple road names are confusing, and there are several intersections where it is not clear what choice to take if the driver wants to continue around the campus perimeter. To aide wayfinding around the Ring Road, signs with a special Ring Road logo were installed on campus at the start of the fall 2008 semester. The highly visible signs, easily read by harried motorists, are intended to help direct people around the campus and prevent the wrong turns that occur so frequently.