NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION CLRNC WHEN MLG PIC FAILS TO HOLD SHORT OF DIAGONAL TAXIWAY FOR LNDG TFC.

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AIRLINES FLT FROM BDL TO DTW METRO. LANDED IN DTW ON RWY 3L AT APPROX PM:35 L AND WAS REQUESTED BY TWR ON THE ROLLOUT TO TAKE THE DIAGONAL EXIT JUST PAST RWY 9/27; WHICH IS Y-5. ONCE CLR OF THE RWY WE WERE INFORMED BY DTW GND; ON FREQ. 121.8; THAT OUR GATE WAS OCCUPIED AND WERE THEN DIRECTED TO GO TO TAXIWAY UNIFORM AND HOLD THERE UNTIL OUR GATE CLRED. WHILE PROCEEDING TO TAXIWAY UNIFORM WE CONTACTED OUR COMPANY AND WERE TOLD THAT OUR GARTE AB WAS CLRING AND THAT WE COULD PROCEED IN. REQUEST WAS THEN MADE TO DTW GND; 121.8; TO DO A 180 DEG TURN AND PROCEED TO GATE AC. WE NEVER REACHED TAXIWAY UNIFORM WHICH I BELIEVE DTW GND DID NOT KNOW OR CONFIRM. WE WERE ON RWY 9/27 IN THE CLOSE VICINITY OF Y-5-Y-6. OUR INSTRUCTIONS FROM GND WERE TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN; HOLD SHORT OF THE DIAGONAL FOR COMPANY EXITING THE RWY; TAXI TO THE GATE VIA THE OUTER. AS WE MADE OUR 180 DEG TURN WE MET A COMPANY LGT AT THE INTXN OF Y-5. AT THAT POINT THE ONLY THING TO DO WAS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE COMPANY LGT; SO WE PROCEEDED AHEAD DOWN THE OUTER; WHICH DTW GND HAD A PROBLEM WITH. TAXIWAY MARKINGS AT DTW CONTINUE TO BE OFTEN TIMES VAGUE AND DIFFICULT TO READ ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. GND CTL FREQ ARE EXTREMELY BUSY AND CTLRS CONTINUE TO GIVE COMPLEX INSTRUCTIONS TOO RAPIDLY. THE CTLR DID NOT CONFIRM OUR POS BEFORE ISSUING A CLRNC THAT ENDED UP VERY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN: 204504. WHILE STILL ON RWY 9/27; I MADE THE 180 DEG TURN AND REFERRED TO Y OPEN CHART 10-9 PAGE TO TRY TO DETERMINE WHICH 'DIAGONAL' I WAS TO HOLD SHORT OF (THE CTLR HAD NOT SPECIFIED WHICH DIAGONAL OR FOR WHAT REASON I WAS TO HOLD SHORT OF IT.) WITH THE LGT'S LNDG LIGHTS POINTING AT ME; IT APPEARED TO ME THAT I WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HIS EXIT RTE FROM THE RWY. SINCE HE HAD STOPPED HIS; I PROCEEDED NORTH AND JOINED THE OUTER TAXIWAY; ALLOWING THEM TO CLR THE RWY. AT THE WRITING OF THIS REPORT; AND ONLY AFTER A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE DTW CHART PAGE; I BELIEVE THE 'DIAGONAL' THE GND CTLR REFERRED TO WAS TAXIWAY Y5; JOINS THE OUTER TAXIWAY; TAXIWAY V; TAXIWAY Y; TAXIWAY Y6; ALL AT THE LARGE PAVED AREA WHERE I COMPLETED A 180 DEG TURN. DUE TO TAXI INSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE UNCLR AND PERHAPS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH; DUE TO THE UNREADABLE 10-9 PAGE DEPICTION UNDER NIGHT LIGHTING CONDITIONS OF THIS AREA OF THE DTW ARPT; DUE TO THE BLINDING EFFECT OF THE LGT'S LNDG LIGHTS; AND DUE TO THE LACK OF TAXIWAY IDENTIFICATION LIGHTING IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA OF Y ACFT; I BELIEVED I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO HOLD SHORT OF THE DIAGONAL. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS NEEDED TO PREVENT FUTURE TAXI CONFLICTS IN THIS AREA OF THE DTW ARPT MIGHT INCLUDE: 1. MORE PRECISE IDENTIFICATION BY GND CTL OF DIAGONALS TO HOLD SHORT OF. USE THE LETTER/NUMBER IDENTIFIER. SLOW THE SPOKEN RATE AT WHICH COMPLICATED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN (THOSE GIVEN TO US WERE ALMOST DELIVERED TOO RAPIDLY TO COMPREHEND). 2. THE PAGE MUST BE MADE MORE READABLE IN THIS AREA (USE A LARGER SCALE). EVEN IN PERFECT LIGHTING CONDITIONS TAXIWAY Y5 IS OBSCURED BY THE PRINTED Y5 DESIGNATION RIGHT ON TOP OF THE TAXIWAY. 3. AT NIGHT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FROM EXISTING LIGHTING AND SIGNS TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHERE TAXIWAYS Y5; Y6; THE OUTER; V; AND Y BEGIN; END; OR INTERSECT IN THIS AREA. CHANGES ARE NEEDED. 4. LNDG ACFT WERE BEING DIRECTED BY THE TWR TO CLR RWY 3L AT THIS DIAGONAL TAXIWAY--DIRECTING ACFT TO CLR FARTHER DOWN THE RWY WOULD PREVENT CONFLICTS WITH TAXIING ACFT ALREADY IN THE Y5 VICINITY. 5. THE HVY WORKLOAD OF THE FO AFTER CLRING THE RWY (COMPLETING CHKLISTS; COMPANY RADIO CALLS) PRECLUDES HIM FROM FULLY MONITORING ACFT TAXI PROGRESSION AT THIS TIME. COMPLICATED ADDITIONAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE AVOIDED DURING THIS PERIOD.