[ad_1]
There is a reason Sheboygan’s stop sign looks like a stop sign in Seattle. There is a reason that the roadways are marked with white markings in both places. If a word is associated with the symbol of a bicycle lane recorded on the street, it is also a reason like “SLOW”. bicycle it is always the first. The reason is 862 pages and is 85 years old, in one way or another: A Handbook for Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
The idea of the manual is that in order for roads to be safe, they must be consistent, driving people, walking or the skateboard. The manual is “a visual representation of what the rules of the road are,” says Jeff Lindley, executive director of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. It won’t tell you when to put a roundabout, but it will tell you the sign you need to help clueless drivers navigate a roundabout. “It’s not a fun habit to read in the evening,” says Luke Schwartz, head of transportation for the city of San Luis Obispo, California.
For transportation engineers, the manual is similar to a professional bible, which they consult weekly, if not daily. Inside is a must-have mix needs, probably good should, and OK-to-do mays. The Federal Highway Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation that has controlled the manual since 1971, should always use professional opinion to determine whether a particular road sign, lane markings, or bicycle template is valid for the situation.
Now, the manual is getting its first update in 11 years. This has drawn criticism that it is outdated and focused on cars or cars rather than two-wheelers. Some city officials want the freedom to create traffic signs, markings and street configurations that adapt to local roads, and a wide variety of options — bus, moped, scooter — are now available to residents. They want the flexibility to choose different brands of lanes for bikes or to install colorful rides, options that the manual does not support. (Federal officials have written strict letters including to cities San Luis, Ames, Iowa, and Lexington, Kentucky, asking them to match the creative passages.) Earlier this year, some progressive transportation teams not only adapted the manual, but also made an effort to reshape and rewrite it.
The debate over an obscure set of federal rules shows a greater trend in transportation planning: a renewed approach to making streets equal. climate conscious, and safe for everyone, not just those cars.
At the state level, security statistics they are moving the wrong way. Preliminary data collected by the Governors Highway Safety Association found a 4.8 percent increase in pedestrian deaths last year. Due to the pandemic, the factor of reduced driving is even more serious: pedestrian deaths have increased by 21% for every vehicle traveled. That’s the biggest leap the government has made since it began tracking that number in 1975.
“This is the time to say,‘ What should be the spirit of the document? And what should be the best way forward? ’” Says Zabe Bente, design director of the National Association of City Transportation Officials, a team representing the North American city transportation department. which directs the effort to rearrange the manual.
The Federal Highway Administration released a draft of the proposed changes at the end of last year. The manual got an update last time, with thousands of people, mostly transportation professionals, posting comments. This year, 26,000 comments were cast from all countries.
[ad_2]
Source link
