Dec. 7: Take 60 Seconds to Support the FHWA's Rule Changes

This could be the beginning of the end of our "wider, straighter, faster" design paradigm ​that yields deadlier roads and enables sprawl

Today, December 7, is the final day to submit comments to the FHWA in support of its proposal to simplify the 13 road design criteria that were developed 30 years ago with primarily the car in mind.  Please click here to add your name to the list of supporters that Transportation for America is collecting to give to the FHWA. It takes just a minute.

The FHWA  proposes removing 11 of the 13 criteria for lower-speed sections of the national highway system. According to the LAB, this proposed rule change will make it far easier for communities with NHS roads to improve those roads in implementing their own complete streets policies and bicycle-friendly goals.

Tell the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) thank you for making it easier for cities and communities to build complete streets that are safer for everyone by sending this letter. 
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For more background, see below:

COMMENT ON FHWA PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE 11 OF 13 CONTROLLING DESIGN CRITERIA
by Mark Plotz in the National Center for Biking & Walking's 10/21/15 newsletter

Thirty years ago the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) designated 13 controlling criteria for roadway design for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and safe operation of the National Highway System (NHS). State DOTs were also encouraged to adopt these standards and many did so because, well, bureaucracies are conservative and risk-averse. As a result, the 13 Controlling Design Criteria (CDC) became the law of the land, and whenever a designer wished to deviate from them, he/she had to enter into the process of requesting a formal design exemption, the outcome of which was uncertain—other than knowing it would add delay and cost to a project. The effect is that we got one-size-fits-all designs regardless of context or community wishes.

The Federal Highway Administration is revisiting the 13 criteria and is requesting comment on a proposal to eliminate all but 2 (Design Speed and Structural Capacity) for NHS roadways under 50 mph. Under this proposal it will be:

• Easier for designers to choose narrower lanes to find space for bicycle facilities or to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians.
• Possible for designers to use narrower right of ways to avoid the high costs of land acquisition.
• The likely beginning of the end of our wider, straighter and faster design paradigm (Horizontal Alignment, Vertical Alignment, Grade, Superelevation and Lateral Offset) that has yielded deadlier roads and enabled sprawl.

Should the proposed rule change become policy, the percentage of roads affected will be small. That said, the ripple effect could be huge if/when state DOTs follow suit—and why shouldn’t they, as these proposed changes could yield significant cost savings and myriad other benefits.

Be sure to tell FHWA what you think by December 7, 2015. You should write in. This is big.

For more background, see:

• Federal Register official notice
• "Evaluation of the 13 Controlling Criteria for Geometric Design," NCHRP Report 783, 2015. (http://bit.ly/1qsr8Rz)
• "FHWA Reduces Barriers to Flexible Street Design," Project for Public Spaces, 2015. (http://bit.ly/1NTcIeZ)
• "Design Flexibility for Stronger Communities," USDOT Fast Lane, 2015. (http://1.usa.gov/1Qmv3yA)
• "When Livability Projects Meet Eisenhower-Era Design Standards," Streetsblog, 2012. (http://bit.ly/1W3npeb)

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