The long-awaited changes include road design elements and signage aimed at improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists while planning for autonomous vehicles.
The Federal Highway Administration announced an important update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, known as the MUTCD. The update marks a victory for safe streets advocates who have long called for changes aimed at reducing risks to all road users.
According to an article by Dan Zukowski in Smart Cities Dive, “The new regulations include improvements for vulnerable road users — including pedestrians and bicyclists — such as rapid-flashing beacons that pedestrians can activate at marked crosswalks and green-colored pavement for bicycle lanes.” Other measures include bike turn boxes at intersections and specialized traffic signals for bikes, as well as elements that prepare for autonomous vehicles
The FHWA acknowledged a need to update the manual more frequently than in the past as technology and transportation change more rapidly. “The new standards also include signage for electric vehicle charging stations and ways to prepare roadways for autonomous vehicles.”
FULL STORY: Rules of the Road Get a Long-Awaited Update in the US
US Street Design Manual Inches Toward Safer Roads
The guiding document for U.S. road design is starting to recognize the needs of people walking and biking, but safe streets advocates say more significant changes are needed to reduce the high number of pedestrian deaths and improve connectivity for all road users.
Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?
Changing technology and rebuilding infrastructure to improve road safety are long-term strategies. How can enforcement and interventions that influence driver behavior make a difference in reducing traffic deaths sooner?
Reforms Are Coming to American Road Design
The federal manual governing road design is getting an update. Will it encourage real progress toward road safety?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
California Set to Increase Electric Truck Chargers by 25%
The California Transportation Commission approved funding for an additional 500 charging ports for electric trucks along some of the state’s busiest freight corridors.
21 Climate Resilience Projects Cancelled by the EPA
The federal government has pulled funding for at least 21 projects related to farming, food systems, and environmental justice to comply with one of Trump’s early executive orders.
Trump Executive Order on Homelessness Calls for Forced Institutionalization
The order seeks to remove legal precedents and consent decrees that prevent cities from moving unhoused people from the street to treatment centers.
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