This morning, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which sets national standards for roadway and shared-use path signage and treatments. Perhaps the most noticeable active transportation-related change to the document, which was last comprehensively updated in 2003, is the addition of the sharrow to the canon of MUTCD-approved road treatments.

Beyond this high-profile new addition, there are numerous changes that affect off-road shared-use paths and railroad crossings, including mounting height requirements for signage on a shared-use path, new mode-specific signage for shared-use paths, new signage to indicate to motorists when a trail crosses the roadway, and the addition of yield or stop signs at rail crossings. A full overview of changes to standards for rail crossings, shared-use paths and bicycle infrastructure can be found in a PowerPoint training slideshow from FHWA describing changes to Parts 8 and 9 of the MUTCD. Training slideshows that describe changes to the rest of the MUTCD are also available.

Another major change involves guidance for signal timing for cyclists and pedestrians crossing roadways, as reported by BikePortland:

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 this latest iteration of the MUTCD includes some significant improvements for trails, biking and walking, many active transportation professionals argue that the MUTCD is too far behind the latest best practices in bicycle and pedestrian facility design. One effort that seeks to fill this gap is Cities for Cycling, which was formally launched last week in Washington, D.C., by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

According to FHWA, states must adopt the latest version of the MUTCD as their legal standard for traffic control devices within two years.

Image from MUTCD.