“The standards say . . . .” This is a big one. Traffic engineers like to tell the public that whatever the public is proposing won’t work because the standards say this or the standards say that. The truth is that they are referring to guidelines, not standards. Other than the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, none of the guidance encased in our massive national manuals should be considered “standards.” Even the MUTCD—often used to tell the public that a crosswalk or pedestrian signal isn’t warranted—gives the engineer discretion to
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