In a discussion with Bill Schultheiss from Toole Design, the importance of the AASHTO and NACTO guides for bike facility design was highlighted. Schultheiss explained the complex relationship between these guides and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), emphasizing how the MUTCD’s legal standing can inhibit innovative design. He noted that engineers often face stress in legal situations, preferring safer, conservative design choices to mitigate liability, which can sometimes conflict with the latest research and best practices in bike safety.
The dilemma in that is it heightens a liability standard for agencies because it's mandated in law. So if you don't follow it, all the attorneys in America, if there's a question, well you didn't follow that thing that's mandated law, you did it wrong, I'm gonna sue, you're at fault.
We had a large period of time where the MUTCD was not updated with best practices following current research, where engineers were like, "I can't do the thing I wanna do because it's not in that book."
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