The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Kit is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to determine the standards used for traffic signs, road surface signs, and signals designed, installed, and used. These specifications include shapes, colors, and fonts used in markers and road signs. In the United States, all traffic control devices must comply with these standards by law. This manual is used by state and local agencies as well as private construction companies to ensure that the traffic control devices they use are in line with national standards. While some state agencies have developed their own standard devices, including their own MUTCD, this should be substantially in accordance with the federal MUTCD.
The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Equipment (NCUTCD) advises FHWA on the addition, revision and amendment to the MUTCD.
Video Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
History
At the beginning of the 20th century - the early days of rural highways - each street was promoted and maintained by private car clubs, which generated revenue through club membership and business improvement along the cross-country route. However, each highway has its own signboards, usually designed to promote the highway rather than assisting in the direction and safety of travelers. In fact, the conflicts between these car clubs often led to several pairs of signs - sometimes as many as eleven - erected on the same highway.
The government's actions to begin completing the curtailed signs did not occur until the early 1920s, when groups from Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin began surveying existing road signs to develop standards. They reported their findings to the Mississippi Valley Highway Department, which adopted a report suggestion for a form to be used for road signs. These suggestions include familiar circular train crossings and stop marks of the octagon.
In 1927, the American Association of State Highway Officials, or AASHO, published the Manuals and Specifications for Marking, Display and Marker Errors and US Standard Paths to set standards for traffic control devices used on roads rural. This is followed by the Manual on Traffic Signs, Signals, and Signs , which sets the same standards for urban settings. While the guidelines set the same standards for each environment, the use of two manuals was decided to be severe, so AASHO began work in 1932 with the National Conference on Road and Highway Safety, or NCSHS, to develop a uniform standard for all settings.. This standard is MUTCD.
MUTCD was first released in 1935, and set the standard for road signs and sidewalk signs. Since then, eight manual editions have been published with many minor updates occurring between, each considering changes in the use and size of the national road system as well as technological improvements.
In 1966, Congress passed the Road Safety Law, P.L. 89-564, 72 Stat. 885 (1966), which is now codified on 23 USC ± 401 et seq. It required all states to establish a road safety program on December 31, 1968, and to comply with uniform standards enacted by the US Department of Transportation as a condition for receiving federal highway grants. The penalty for non-compliance is a 10% reduction in funding. In turn, taking advantage of the wide rule-making powers afforded in 23 U.S.C.Ã,§Ã, 402, the Department simply adopted the entire MUTCD with reference to 23 C.F.R. 655,603 . So what was once a half official project became official. States are permitted to complete MUTCDs but must remain in a "substantial suitability" with the national MUTCD and adopt changes within two years after they are adopted by FHWA.
The 1971 edition of MUTCD included several important standards; it requires that all the midlines on two-way streets be painted in yellow (not white, to restrict the moving lanes in the same direction), and require that all roadway guides (not just on the Interstate Highway) contain white text with a background green. Most of the repainting to the 1971 standard was done between 1971 and 1974, with a 1978 deadline for the turn of both signs and signboards.
On January 2, 2008, FHWA issued the Proposed Amendment Notice on the Federal Register containing proposals for the new edition of MUTCD, and published a draft of the contents of this new edition on the MUTCD website for public reviews and comments. Comments received until July 31, 2008. New edition was published in 2009.
Maps Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
Development
The proposed addition and revision of the MUTCD is recommended to FHWA by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Equipment (NCUTCD), a private, nonprofit organization. The NCUTCD also recommends MUTCD interpretations to other institutions using MUTCD, such as the state transportation department. NCUTCD develops public and professional awareness about the principles of safe traffic control devices and practices, and provides a forum for qualified individuals to exchange professional information.
NCUTCD is supported by twenty-one sponsor organizations, including transportation and engineering industry groups (such as AASHTO and ASCE), safety organizations (such as the National Safety Council and Advocates for Automobile and Automatic Safety), and the American Automobile Association. Each sponsoring organization promotes members to serve as a voting delegate within the NCUTCD.
other jurisdictions
The United States is one of the majority of countries in the world that has not ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, and thus the MUTCD FHWA differs significantly from the Vienna Convention. MUTCD has a more consistent color scheme than the Vienna Convention (ie red always means "forbidden" or "preparing to quit"). Warning alerts (reminding drivers of unexpected or dangerous conditions) tend to be more verbose than their Vienna counterparts. On the other hand, MUTCD guidance signs (directing or informing road users about their location or destination) tend to be less verbose than equivalent in the countries of the Vienna Convention, as they are optimized for high speed reading. on highways and highways.
MUTCD has become very influential outside the United States; for example, the use of yellow stripes to divide the opposing traffic has been widely adopted throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Australia, New Zealand and Ireland use many road signs influenced by MUTCD.
Canada
For road signs in Canada, the Canadian Transport Association (TAC) publishes its own Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Kit for Canada for use by Canadian jurisdictions. Although functioning similarly to MUTCD FHWA, it has been developed independently and has a number of important differences with US partners, particularly bilingual (English/French) entry for jurisdictions such as New Brunswick and Ontario with significant anglophone and francophone populations, and a higher dependence on symbols rather than text legends.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) also historically uses its own MUTCD which has much in common with TAC MUTCDC. However, around 2000, the MTO has developed the Ontario Traffic Manual (OTM), a smaller series of volumes that each cover different aspects of traffic control (eg, regulatory marks, warning signs, principles sign design, traffic signals, etc.).
See also
- Comparison of MUTCD Affected Traffic Signs
- Road signs in the United States
References
External links
- Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Tools on the FHWA website
- National Committee for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) website
- MUTCD history
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments