USDOT Calls for New Round of Comments on Traffic Regulation Compliance Dates

The recession in the United States has caused U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to question the feasibility of implementing various traffic control changes required by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by 2018. Those changes range from road sign lettering and retroreflectivity to crosswalk timing. According to LaHood, the proposed new sign regulations in the MUTCD would help to increase safety but put extra burden on local governments that are already facing difficult economic conditions. LaHood thought it is the right thing to do to request additional public comments on compliance dates to make sure those safety requirements are reasonable and cost-effective.