Prior to December 16, this Penn Ave Shared Lane Marking or “Sharrow” required approval from the FHWA

On Wednesday, December 16, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released the latest update to “the bible” of signs and street markings: the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).   Basically, this book makes sure that a stop sign looks the same whether you’re in Ypsilanti or Youngstown.  It also sets guidelines on what markings and signs traffic engineers are allowed to place on our roadways.

As one can imagine, streets don’t come out of cookie cutters, or an increase in a user group, like say bicyclists, calls for something not available in the MUTCD.  So, the Feds allow cities and engineers to use some creativity and stray from the book, but only after getting permission, or experimental status, for their new traffic control device.  After a long process of evaluation, the MUTCD board will vote on whether a change will be included in future updates.  These adaptive changes, if deemed useful in increasing safety, can be incorporated into the book so that everyone in the country can use them.  The last time the MUTCD was updated was in 2003.

One such marking that received the FHWA stamp of approval is the Shared Lane Marking, commonly known as the “sharrow.”  Back in 2007, BikePGH worked with the City of Pittsburgh to install our first sharrows on Liberty Ave, through Bloomfield.  At the time, we were one of the first cities on the east coast to use these innovative markings that San Francisco made popular.  You may remember filling out surveys that the City of Pittsburgh distributed to both cyclists and drivers.  The results of the surveys were forwarded to the FHWA to add to their data collection.

Another sign, which we at BikePGH are pretty excited about, is the new “Bicycle May Use Full Lane” sign.  The sign is designed for use on “lanes that are too narrow for bikes and cars to operate side-by-side.”  That statement pretty much describes Pittsburgh’s spaghetti-bowl street pattern, so we look forward to seeing this in some prime locations, alongside an increase in sharrows.

Also of use to us in Pittsburgh is the update to the bicycle route and destination guides.  As luck would have it, the City is currently in the process of picking a consulting firm to lay out a plan for an on-street bicycle network and routing system.  This network will include routing, as well as useful bicycle specific destinations.

Bike Portland reports that another major change to the MUTCD involves guidance for signal timing for cyclists and pedestrians crossing roadways.

One source I spoke to this morning said the most important change to the MUTCD has to do with criteria used to determine when a traffic signal can be installed. The new MUTCD makes it easier for engineers to install traffic signals where bikeways and trails cross larger arterial streets based not just on volume of non-motorized traffic, but on how long of a delay they experience.

This is crucial, because engineering analysis of some crossings would yield low counts of biking and walking traffic simply because the crossing is so intimidating and dangerous. Now, with the new rules, this catch-22 is avoided and the decision is much more friendly to biking and walking traffic that it has been in the past.

Although we are excited to see these new tools in our toolbox, there are many other markings that cities with more resources are able to use, like bike boxes and bicycle boulevards as an example.  Considering that the last update was over 6 years ago, we hope that new road markings and traffic control devices will be able to innovate more quickly.  Many of these cities that have the resources to innovate, recently formed a new group called Cities for Cycling, that aims to do just that, and we’re anxious for the results.

---

Are YOU a member of BikePGH?

If you answered no, JOIN TODAY! We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride.  For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership