Transcript Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices
Aren Cambre
11-3-04
What is MUTCD?
• “the national standard for all traffic control
devices”
• Defines TCDs in detail:
– Fonts and appearance
– Positioning
– Usage
• Originates from 1927 document for rural
roads
• Current version is 2003 ed., rev. 1
Availability
• Available online at
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov.
Requirement to Follow
• Per 1966 Highway Safety Act, all public
roadways must be in “substantial conformance”.
• No compliance = no federal funds.
• Four levels of compliance:
– Standard: must follow
– Guidance: recommended
– Option: “statement of practice,” may be used to
modify standard of guidance
– Support: informational, not required
State MUTCD?
• States may have their own MUTCD.
• Must comply with federal MUTCD.
• Must comply with federal MUTCD changes
within 2 years.
• Texas MUTCD:
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/trf/mutcd.htm
Parts of MUTCD
• MUTCD divided into 10 parts and an
appendix.
Part 1: General
• Overall concepts, like:
– Purpose
– Design
– Principles
– Placement
– Operation
– Definitions
– Primacy of engineering judgment
– Appropriate abbreviations
Part 1: Standard Colors
• Black—regulation
• Blue—road user services guidance, tourist information, and
evacuation route
• Brown—recreational and cultural interest area guidance
• Coral—unassigned
• Fluorescent Pink—incident management
• Fluorescent Yellow-Green—pedestrian warning, bicycle
warning, playground warning, school bus and school warning
• Green—indicated movements permitted, direction guidance
• Light Blue—unassigned
• Orange—temporary traffic control
• Purple—unassigned
• Red—stop or prohibition
• White—regulation
• Yellow—warning
Part 1: Inappropriate Abbreviations
Part 2: Signs
• 9 sections
• First section is “general”: again, definitions
and housekeeping
• Organized by sign type
Regulatory Signs
• Describe legal requirements to motorist.
• Disregarding sign is usually a violation of
law.
Speed Limit
• Speed limit is a regulatory sign
• Standard
– “After an engineering study has been made in
accordance with established traffic
engineering practices, the Speed Limit sign
shall display the limit established by law,
ordinance, regulation, or as adopted by the
authorized agency. The speed limits shown
shall be in multiples of 10 km/h or 5 mph.”
Speed Limit
• Guidance
– At least once every 5 years, States and local
agencies should reevaluate non-statutory speed limits
on segments of their roadways that have undergone a
significant change in roadway characteristics or
surrounding land use since the last review.
– No more than three speed limits should be displayed
on any one Speed Limit sign or assembly.
– When a speed limit is to be posted, it should be within
10 km/h or 5 mph of the 85th-percentile speed of freeflowing traffic.
Other Regulatory Signs
Warning Signs
• Informational
• Warn of conditions motorists may not
catch.
Guide Signs (Conventional)
• Mostly directional or information.
Guide Signs (Freeways)
Specific Service Signs
Tourist-Oriented Directional Signs
Recreational and Cultural-Interest
Signs
Emergency Management Signs
Sign Positioning
Part 3: Markings
• Describes “pavement and curb markings,
object markers, delineators, colored
pavements, barricades, channelizing
devices and islands.”
Markings Layout
Yield Line
Traffic Island
Object Markers
Part 4: Highway Traffic Signals
• Applies to “any highway traffic signal by
which traffic is alternately directed to stop
and permitted to proceed.”
• Includes:
– Traditional traffic signals.
– Pedestrian signals.
– Lane-use signals.
– Flashing beacons.
Typical Signal Head Arrangements
Part 5: TCDs for Low Volume
Roads
• Mainly recreational, farm-to-market, or
county roads.
• Essentially a relaxed set of the prior
requirements.
Part 6: Temporary Traffic Control
• Mostly construction zones signage and
pavement markings.
Flagging
Temporary Signs
Suggested Layouts
Incident Management Areas
• Part 6 also includes the pink signs.
Part 7: School Areas
Part 8: Highway-Rail Grade
Crossings
Part 9: Bicycle Facilities
Part 10: Light Rail Crossings