ITE has been advocating for changes to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to recognize recent advancements in practice. Working with the members of the ITE Delegation to the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, ITE identified a series of high priority actions—Interim Approvals (IAs)—that could be taken by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to advance the MUTCD. ITE strongly recommended FHWA take immediate action in a September 2016 letter (http://bit.ly/2dL40lm) from then ITE International President Paula Flores to FHWA Administrator Greg Nadeau. A month later, FHWA granted interim approval to Bicycle Boxes, the first priority item on ITE’s list.
Continuing these efforts, on November 7, 2016, ITE joined with its partners, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and PeopleforBikes, to meet with USDOT and present how we could partner with FHWA to promote the consideration of a mutual set of prioritized enhancements to the MUTCD. ITE is pleased to announce that a new FHWA memorandum issued on January 5, 2017 addresses many of these enhancements. The memorandum clarifies the status of several types of traffic control devices currently allowed for use by the 2009 MUTCD and provides an update on the evaluation of several other types of traffic control devices under consideration for Interim Approval, addressing many of the items submitted by ITE and its partners. The memorandum can be read here: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/policy/tcdstatusmemo/index.htm.
ITE commends FHWA for its actions with this memorandum to move forward in keeping the MUTCD and its related resources both current and relevant. We will continue to partner with NACTO and PeopleforBikes and others in areas of mutual interest. ITE is committed to working with FHWA to provide additional input as needed and will continue to inform, educate, and train our members on the applications and implementations of the MUTCD and its related resources through our broad communication network.
ITE will be delivering a series of webinars, in partnership with FHWA, to help guide practitioners on how to take advantage of recent Interim Approvals and interpretations that provide them with additional flexibility. Click here for more information on this webinar series, which begins January 18: http://ecommerce.ite.org/imis/iCommerce/Events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=LMSW58.