Request for Comment: ITE Report – Lines, Signs, and Signals

Lines, Signs, and Signals; New ITE Informational Report (IR-141-E)

This new informational report, developed by an ITE Traffic Engineering Council committee, is summarized on page 8 of the November 2015 ITE Journal. Ways to access the full report are shown below.

Committee Chair Leon Goodman and Vice Chair Mark Kulewicz invite comments and/or additional input from ITE members and their colleagues. You can contact them at: leegoodman2 (at) verizon (dot) net and mkulewicz (at) aaany (dot) com

The report identifies examples of where the MUTCD- intended meaning of a traffic control device: is not correctly conveyed my state drivers manual’s, is not really understood by road users, is not correctly applied by traffic engineering agencies, and/or is not consistently enforced by police. Examples from 21 states highlight edge lines, lane lines, crosswalk signs, directional signs, school vehicle rules, and other traffic situations.

In addition to identifying problem areas, the report suggests changes to address these situations. It also suggests that after ITE publication these concerns be reviewed with relevant organizations towards changes to improve highway safety. These organizations could include motor vehicle departments through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), police organizations through the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and, possibly, driver education/training groups such as the American Automobile Association (AAA) and/or the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

The full 25 page report is available at no cost from the ITE Bookstore (Pub. No. IR-141-E). For ITE members its also available on the ITE Community.

The report is also available here