The next edition of the MUTCD will provide road managers nationwide with contemporary options to address safety and operational issues, while maintaining uniformity, in selecting the traffic control devices that will convey the intended operation of their facilities to users. The purpose of the MUTCD is to help ensure traffic control devices used across the country meet the needs of all road users, including the most vulnerable, in a safe and efficient manner. The documents and supporting materials for a Final Rule will take just a bit more time to finalize, but we expect to publish this year. This review was the last major step of the regulatory process allowing FHWA to proceed to preparation of a Notice of Final Rule. On September 29, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs completed its review of the pending rulemaking for the next edition of the MUTCD. Status of Rulemaking for the Eleventh Edition of the MUTCD See it here first! The MUTCD News Feed has up-to-the-minute information on new items such as Interim Approvals, Official Interpretations, Policy Statements, Federal Register notices-everything you need to make the most of your MUTCD and keep road users on the move! At least we'll be able to see it coming.MUTCD Home Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways MUTCD News Feed But as old signs deteriorate and are replaced, Clearview will be phased off of American roads. As it stands, the country's signs are a combination of Clearview and Highway Gothic, with some instances of cities changing to Clearview while the state stuck with Highway Gothic. The FHWA also suggested that Clearview may be harder to read on Street Name signs.Īs City Lab points out, switching to Clearview requires municipalities to purchase a standard license for the font-$175 for one font and up to $795 for the entire typeface family of 13 fonts-so cost might be a factor in the FHWA's decision. ClearviewHwyīut a spokesperson told City Lab that more research in the past decade has led the FHWA to decide that the Clearview font is less legible than Highway Gothic on signs with "negative-contrast color orientations," including Speed Limit and Warning signs that have black font on either a white or yellow background. The test was conducted at 45 mph, which means drivers had 1.2 seconds longer to read the signs with Clearview font.Ī comparison of Highway Gothic on the left and Clearview on the right. Studies conducted by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute and the Texas Transportation Institute found that drivers could read Clearview as much as 80 feet farther away than they could read Highway Gothic, which was developed in the 1940s. This means that any new signs must use Highway Gothic again, though existing signs with Clearview do not need to be replaced as long as they are in good condition.Īmong some circles, this decision represents a major lapse in judgement. That "Interim Approval" of Clearview was suddenly terminated on Monday, according to a notice posted on the Federal Register by the FHWA. Studies suggested that Clearview was easier to read than Highway Gothic, especially in the dark, and about 30 states updated their highway signs as a result. In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced its " Interim Approval for Use of Clearview Font for Positive Contrast Legends on Guide Signs," allowing states to change the prevailing font on road signs, Highway Gothic, to a font called Clearview if they chose.
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