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Comments on the Federal MUTCD Update

Started by karlos, May 14, 2021, 09:14:16 AM

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karlos

If you heard or saw Pete Buttegieg's address to the 2021 Nat'l Bike Summit, the US DOT is accepting comments on the update to the MUTCD, Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is the genesis of signs and some aspects of roadway design across the USA. They asked for comments on this update, which happens rarely, about once per decade. I support most of the comments I have read at least at the general level (it's hard to dig into the weeds of some very detailed comments, but many have been made by professional planners and engineers to really focus on active transportation users).

I focused on one specific item, that Pete Penseyres and I have been talking about this past year, based on observations in Carlsbad that a city planner there didn't even notice BMUFL (Bikes May Use Full Lane) signs on poles adjacent to a road with sharrows. Interestingly, Abe Bandegan, Engineer for Encinitas, was asked about our rough idea and he embraced it, because the sharrows on Cardiff 101 are FAR from the BMUFL signs which are even further right because of the new cycletrack. Abe may be the first in CA, and possibly the entire USA, to follow through on this idea, just completed YESTERDAY, coincidentally (or not since MUTCD comments are due noon today). I know Brian Genovese at the City of San Diego is also interested in following what Abe has done, so despite some of the issues experienced cyclists have with the Cardiff cycletrack, it is possible that it is also the genesis of an improvement that might spread widely. Those of you have attended the Smart Cycling class may recall that it was San Diego in 1976 that was the genesis of the exceptions to the original CVC 21202 (1963) that demanded that cyclists only ride on the right edge of the road - decidedly not safe much of the time on our 11-12 ft travel lanes. CA was the first to write that into law and it has now spread to almost every state in the USA. Maybe San Diego County can be the genesis of something new with "MAY USE FULL LANE" on the pavement.

Anyway, given that little history and context, attached are what I submitted yesterday.

Karl