C172 PLT; UNFAMILIAR WITH RAL ARPT; INCURS RWY 34 FROM TXWY A WHEN LOOKING FOR TXWY B.

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I WAS PREPARING TO RETURN TO HAWTHORNE ARPT FROM RIVERSIDE ARPT IN A CESSNA 172. HAVING OBTAINED THE ATIS; I PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW THE CHKLIST FOR ENGINE START. I CONTACTED RIVERSIDE GND AND ASKED TO TAXI TO RWY NINE. RIVERSIDE GND INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING TO RWY 34 AND CLRED ME TO TAXI TO RWY 34. NOT BEING SURE HOW FAR WET RWY 34 WAS FROM WHERE I WAS PARKED; I REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE TAXIING. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO TAXI W ON TXWY A AND TURN L (OR S) ON B. I EXITED THE TRANSIENT PARKING AREA THROUGH THE NEAREST OPENING AND PROCEEDED W ON A. I SAW NO TAXI OR RWY SIGNS; BUT EXPECTING DIRECTIVES FROM GND CTL; I PROCEEDED UNTIL I ENCOUNTERED AN AREA THAT I THOUGHT MIGHT BE B. AT THAT TIME I SAW THE HOLD SHORT MARKINGS ON THE W SIDE OF RWY 34 (FOR EBOUND TFC ON A) AND REALIZED THAT I WAS ON THE ACTIVE RWY. A QUICK GLANCE TO MY L REVEALED AN ACFT C0MING TOWARD ME AND QUITE CLOSE. I KNEW I HAD TO CLR THE RWY AND ROLLING; I ELECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS AS THE QUICKEST WAY TO EXIT. I CLRED THE RWY BY MERE INCHES WHEN THE PLANE ON IT'S TKOF RUN PASSED BEHIND AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE ME. WHEN I CROSSED THE W HOLD SHORT LINE; I TURNED AROUND; CONTACTED RIVERSIDE GND; TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND REQUESTED CLRNC TO TAXI BACK ACROSS RWY 34. GND CLRED ME ACROSS. I WAS SOMEWHAT SHAKEN BY THE EXPERIENCE. THE FLT BACK TO HAWTHORNE WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE NEXT DAY; I DROVE BACK TO RIVERSIDE ARPT TO SEE IF I COULD DETERMINE HOW I COULD HAVE MISSED SEEING SIGNS AS PROMINENT AS TXWY AND RWY DESIGNATIONS. THE N RAMP; W RAMP; AND B TXWY ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME CONCRETE SLAB. TRANSIENT PARKING; ON THE N RAMP; IS MAYBE TWO HUNDRED FT E OF THE EDGE OF RWY 34. IT APPEARS THAT I MAY HAVE PROCEEDED FAR ENOUGH W ON TXWY A THAT THE SIGNS WERE AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE AND COMMANDED LITTLE ATTENTION. I THINK THAT I MAY HAVE AVOIDED THE PROB HAD I TAKEN THE TIME TO REVIEW A PLATE DEPICTING THE ARPT LAYOUT AND OR PLACING TOO MUCH DEPENDENCE ON GND CTL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER RPTRS RETURN; HE WAS ABLE TO FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF MORE THOROUGHLY WITH THE ARPT LAYOUT. HE WAS NOT DEPED ON RWY 34 AGAIN; BUT ADVISED THAT ALL OTHER SIGNAGE IS CLRLY VISIBLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO: A TWR SPECIALIST ADVISED THE ARPT REPLACED ALL ITS SIGNAGE TWO YRS AGO TO MEET NEW FAA REQUIREMENTS. THE TWR IS NOT AWARE OF ANY SPECIFIC ARPT SIGNAGE PROBS.