Throughout this first quarter of 2024, we have been digesting the recently published update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, commonly referred to by its acronym MUTCD. This is an important document that impacts nearly every single person in our transportation community in one way or another. Some directly, some indirectly.
In this April edition of ITE Journal, we’ll feature articles related specifically to the MUTCD and elements of the newly updated 11th Edition. And throughout this year, ITE will be launching several initiatives related to the updated MUTCD including webinars, a new certificate course, an indexed print version, specialized publications, and more. We’ll also be featuring a “conversation circle” on the Wednesday of our Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this July, so make sure and include plans to be there for that!
As you begin to digest the nuances of the MUTCD update, you will also begin to recognize a couple of key themes that are becoming increasingly important throughout our profession—and are exemplified by several themes in the new MUTCD. The first theme you’ll recognize is that Roadway Context is mentioned in several of the new passages of the MUTCD. It is a factor related to speed limit setting, guide signs, toll signage—even in how we apply audible warnings for pedestrian crossings.
This recognition that “not all situations are the same” is important because it applies across so many elements of transportation planning and engineering. The MUTCD
is meant to help improve safety, inclusion, and mobility for all road users through encouraging uniformity, but it isn’t a cookbook that can exist in a vacuum. The use of the MUTCD also requires that devices and strategies be applied in appropriate applications.
Which leads me to my second theme prevalent throughout the newly updated MUTCD—embodied by a simple statement made frequently by the FHWA: this Manual should not be considered a substitute for engineering judgment. If you search for the term judgment in the new MUTCD, you’ll quickly be overwhelmed by its frequency
of use. Nearly every section includes some reference to professional or engineering judgment, further reinforcing the previous theme that “not all situations are the same.”
It might seem counterintuitive that so many of the criteria contained in the MUTCD seek to both promote uniformity, but at the same time allow flexibility based on judgment. How can we as an industry achieve both goals that are seemingly in conflict? The answer to that question is quite simple: don’t operate in a vacuum. Practice coordinated communication, regular training, and frequent education. We must continue to be open to learning from others, looking out for updated best practices, and being willing to try new strategies or solutions. A favorite quote of legendary basketball coach John Wooden was “it’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
And that, to me, is why your membership in ITE is so valuable not only to you as a professional—but to our industry overall. Our ability to publish case studies, speak in sessions, write papers, attend conferences, read articles in ITE Journal, contribute to webinars—is vital to the future of our industry. Your level of contribution and engagement can and will vary—but I am a strong believer that our collective spirit will help overcome the inherent conflict between uniformity and flexibility. Never stop learning!