Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices: 6D. Pedestrian and Worker Safety

Organization:

United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

Edition:

Third

Publisher/Date:

Federal Highway Administration, 2000

Rating:

Limited Usefulness

Abstract:

Setting the national standards for signs, markings, controls and signals, this book is a mandatory source book for traffic departments and engineers. The standards are directed toward vehicular traffic though there are a few entries dealing with pedestrians. The document is prescriptive, with very little information for informing designers how their decisions may affect pedestrians with limited abilities. Very few entries make reference to access. While pedestrians are mentioned in every one of the ten chapters, the incidences of such are few, and references to "access" are even fewer. The concept that access is an element of good design is nowhere found.

Annotation:

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices needs no introduction. It is the national standard, per Title 23 of the U.S. Code, covering traffic related signs, markings, controls and signals. Nearly all information is directed toward vehicular traffic. Even the few entries to do with pedestrians are mostly directed towards vehicles (see random section by section comments at the end of this entry). The document is prescriptive, with very little reference to source material. It is of primary usefulness to traffic engineers involved in the end stages of design. Even at this stage, though, some decisions will be judgment calls and this book has scant information for informing those calls vis-à-vis the range of abilities of pedestrians. While something about pedestrians is in every one of the ten chapters, there are few pedestrian related entries, and even fewer references to "access” and these are specific requirements "for the disabled,” not seen as relevant aspects of good design. This is unfortunate, since this is one of several highway design bibles. Engineers using this reference book are responsible for the location in the sidewalk of all signs and signal poles. Accordingly, it is extremely important that where signs are located, how signals work, the breadth of the usefulness audible signaling, and the legibility of signing be integrated into this book, not as access criteria but as good design.

The limitations can be illustrated with a few examples: 2A.21, Sign Posts and Mountings, does not give clear sidewalk width dimensions when signs are mounted in sidewalks. 2B.43, 2B.44, and 2B.45, signs for use by pedestrians (2 pages), makes no mention of access, ranges of understanding abilities, reading distance, etc. 3B.17, crosswalk markings ("pedestrian" is used 6 times), makes no mention of range of abilities, visually impaired use, slipperiness, etc. Nor does the sub-section reflect the research that has been going on for the last decade on crosswalk safety at uncontrolled locations. 3B.19 gives criteria for the painted pavement symbol for the parking space reserved for disabled vehicle users, but does not warn that this does not meet access requirements and is covered up by the parked car. 3G, Island Markings, makes no mention of pedestrians.

For the next edition of this book, Chapter IV, sections 4A through 4g, should be reviewed paragraph by paragraph to make it more sensitive towards addressing the range of pedestrian abilities. For instance, in one place it gives the height of a crossing button in an island at 42 inches, but never mentions that the button must be reached by a person with limited reach. 4B, general information about traffic signals, lumps "pedestrians" under the general term "traffic.” While this section has a few statements about pedestrians, it contains nothing about access. 4C, Traffic Control Needs, includes pedestrians, but contains nothing about the range of pedestrian abilities. 4D, Traffic Control Signal Features: Paragraph 4D.03 says, "Safety considerations should include the installation, where appropriate, of accessible pedestrian signals.” The implication here is that the "accessible" signal is optional which is not the case. 4E, Traffic signals controlling pedestrians (9 pages): This section is the major section in the document devoted to pedestrians, but could be improved. Sub-section 4E.06 does include accessible pedestrian signals as special design, but discourages their use unless visually impaired persons cannot "hear the traffic in front of them stop and the traffic alongside them begin to move.” This section also makes reference to "U.S. Access Board Document A-37". The Access board, to the best of my knowledge, does not have a document nomenclature A-xx. It does have the 4G, Traffic Control Signals for Emergency Vehicles, does not mention audible signals. 6D in general, and 6D.02 specifically, address accessibility during temporary construction. This page is one of the best in the book vis-à-vis what a sidewalk should do. 6F covers signage for temporary construction, but has no provision for notifying visually impaired pedestrians. 6H covers temporary construction on roadways without sidewalks, and contains no sections on pedestrians. However, since pedestrians use the shoulders of rural roads, temporary access should be discussed. 6H.28 and 6H.29 covers temporary closure of the pedestrian route but it contains nothing about the temporary route being accessible, nor anything about addressing the problems of the visually impaired. 7A addresses traffic control in school areas though does not mention accessibility. 8 addresses rail crossings. There are no references to access, and this section even include examples that are contrary to the regulations. For instance, the RR crossing pole has a cross bar only 6 feet above the sidewalk, and the setback from the curb is given, but there is no mention of minimum sidewalk clearance on the other side of the pole.

Number of Pages:

629

Link:

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices: 6D. Pedestrian and Worker Safety (PDF) (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/millennium/06.14.01/6dndi.pdf)

Illustrations?

Yes

Material Type:

Book, Web Page

Notes:

ATSSA, ITE, AASHTO also contributed. Key Resource for traffic engineers and transportation departments, but not for access.

Key Document?

Yes

Categories:

National Standards, National Policy, Planning, Schematics, Design Development

Keywords:

Traffic Control Devices, Traffic Safety

Strengths:

• Universal use by traffic departments and engineers.
• Comprehensiveness.

Weaknesses:

• Criteria are prescriptive without supporting rationale.
• Ramifications of vehicle related devices on pedestrians, particularly those with reduced abilities.
• Access, the few times it is addressed, is treated as something special as opposed to part of the range of abilities among pedestrians.

Suggestions for Future Editions:

• A paragraph-by-paragraph review of pedestrian related sections, particularly Chapter 4, sections 4A through 4g to make them more sensitive towards the range of pedestrian abilities.
• Publication of an appendix (could be bound separately but always included with the book) that gives the rationale behind the prescriptive criteria.
• Integrate access standards with the presentation of a particular pedestrian issue.
• Add an index.

Record Last Updated:

July 2006