FHWA Proposes Eliminating Dozens off Traffic Control Compliance Date Deadlines

As the days get cooler and daylight hours get shorter, even the most determined summertime flag football champion can quickly become an armchair quarterback. Before the urge to hibernate hits, it’s important to think about your health and wellness goals. It can be difficult to keep those goals in mind while the leaves are turning or the snow is falling, but a little bit of planning now can ensure you’re ready for that beach vacation next summer!

First, make sure you keep safety in mind. Although almost anyone can safely exercise during the winter, people with certain conditions like asthma or heart conditions should check with their doctor before exercising outdoors when it’s cold.

· Dress appropriately. A common mistake is to dress too warmly, with not enough layers. Make sure you can shed layers if you get too warm, or add them back on if you get too cold. If it’s extremely cold, consider

Stay Active—and Safe—in Fall and Winter

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in late August published a Notice of Proposed Amendments, proposing to revise Table I-2 in the Introduction of the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to eliminate, extend or otherwise revise most of the target compliance dates for upgrading existing traffic control devices in the field that do not meet the current MUTCD standards. The MUTCD is a compilation of national standards for all pavement markings, street signs and traffic signals.

Of the 58 items for which target compliance dates are currently listed, FHWA proposed eliminating altogether the compliance dates for eight that have already expired and 38 that have future compliance dates, and to extend and/or revise the dates for four items.  FHWA is expected to issue a final rule on the proposed amendments but has not yet announced a date.

Among the proposed changes, FHWA proposed revising the January 22, 2012 target compliance date that was established in 2007 for a provision that requires agencies to implement an assessment or management method designed to maintain sign retroreflectivity at or above the established minimum levels. This compliance date does not require any signs to be replaced by a given date. It requires highway agencies to implement an assessment or management method for maintaining sign retroreflectivity by the compliance date. The compliance date for this requirement would be extended to a date two years after the effective date of the final rule for this proposed revision of the MUTCD.

 

Additionally, FHWA proposed making the new compliance date apply only to implementing an assessment or management method for regulatory and warning signs. The requirement in the MUTCD language to implement a method for all types of signs would remain, but there would not be a specific target compliance date for required implementation of the method for signs other than regulatory and warning signs.

FHWA also proposed eliminating the two existing target compliance dates for replacement of signs that are identified using the assessment or management method as failing to meet the established minimum retroreflectivity levels. The January 22, 2015 date for regulatory, warning, and post-mounted guide (except street name) signs and the January 22, 2018 date for street name signs and overhead guide signs would both be eliminated. Without specific compliance dates for these items, agencies will still need to replace any sign they identify as not meeting the established minimum retroreflectivity levels.

FHWA has retained twelve deadlines for sign upgrades that are critical to public safety. These include installing “ONE WAY” signs at intersections with divided highways or one-way streets and requiring STOP or YIELD signs to be added at all railroad crossings that do not have train-activated automatic gates or flashing lights.

The revisions to Table I-2 can be found at http://mutcd. fhwa.dot.gov/.  This article is reprinted from the APWA: www.apwa.net/Media/All.  Reprinted with permission.

a face mask to warm the air before it enters your lungs. Pay extra attention to your hands, feet, and ears; they can be especially vulnerable to frostbite.

· Wear reflective clothing. Shorter daylight hours can make it difficult to squeeze in an outdoor workout before dark. If you find yourself outside in the twilight hours, consider wearing reflective clothing, and carry a flashlight with you as well.

· Don’t forget nutrition! As the temperature drops, people tend to crave high carbohydrate meals much more than fruits and vegetables. If you can’t get out and get active to burn those carbs off, you can probably guess where they’ll go – and stay. Keeping fruits and veggies in your diet year round can help you avoid winter weight gain.

___________    See Active and Safe: Page 6