Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:32, 21 October 2006

Revision as of 03:59, 17 November 2006

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Government action to begin resolving the wide variety of signage that had cropped up did not occur until the early 1920s, when groups from Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin began surveying the existing road signs in order to develop a standard. They reported their findings to the Mississippi Valley Association of Highway Departments, which adopted the report's suggestions for the shapes to be used for road signs. These suggestions included the familiar circular railroad crossing sign and octagonal stop sign.

In 1927, the [[AASHTOAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials|American Association of State Highway Officials]], or AASHO, published the ''Manual and Specifications for the Manufacture, Display, and Erection of U.S. Standard Road Markers and Signs'' to set standards for traffic control devices used on rural roads. This was followed by the ''Manual on Street Traffic Signs, Signals, and Markings'', which set similar standards for urban settings. While these manuals set similar standards for each environment, the use of two manuals was decided to be unwieldy, and so the AASHO began work in 1932 with the [[National Conference on Street and Highway Safety]], or NCSHS, to develop a uniform standard for all settings. This standard was the MUTCD.

The MUTCD was first released in 1935, and set standards for both road signs and pavement markings. Since that time, eight more editions of the manual have been published with numerous minor updates occurring between, each taking into consideration changes in usage and size of the nation's system of roads as well as improvements in technology.