The long-awaited changes include road design elements and signage aimed at improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists while planning for autonomous vehicles.
The Federal Highway Administration announced an important update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, known as the MUTCD. The update marks a victory for safe streets advocates who have long called for changes aimed at reducing risks to all road users.
According to an article by Dan Zukowski in Smart Cities Dive, “The new regulations include improvements for vulnerable road users — including pedestrians and bicyclists — such as rapid-flashing beacons that pedestrians can activate at marked crosswalks and green-colored pavement for bicycle lanes.” Other measures include bike turn boxes at intersections and specialized traffic signals for bikes, as well as elements that prepare for autonomous vehicles
The FHWA acknowledged a need to update the manual more frequently than in the past as technology and transportation change more rapidly. “The new standards also include signage for electric vehicle charging stations and ways to prepare roadways for autonomous vehicles.”
FULL STORY: Rules of the Road Get a Long-Awaited Update in the US
US Street Design Manual Inches Toward Safer Roads
The guiding document for U.S. road design is starting to recognize the needs of people walking and biking, but safe streets advocates say more significant changes are needed to reduce the high number of pedestrian deaths and improve connectivity for all road users.
Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?
Changing technology and rebuilding infrastructure to improve road safety are long-term strategies. How can enforcement and interventions that influence driver behavior make a difference in reducing traffic deaths sooner?
Reforms Are Coming to American Road Design
The federal manual governing road design is getting an update. Will it encourage real progress toward road safety?
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research