§The challenge is
articulated here in a NCHRP discussion of design, operating and posted limits.
– 2003 NCHRP Report 504 reports a new
factor.
– "To an open-ended
question," respondent engineers placed "politics" way above the engineering factors as the number one reason for
"deviation" from the 85 percentile operating speed.
– With this political reality of
"politics" controlling sound engineering traffic engineering studies, compliance with the MUTCD becomes impossible.Ó
§Since 1992, engineering
studies and the 85th percentile speed as the primary criteria for traffic control and setting speed limits
has been under direct attack within the USDOT, with a
concerted effort to dilute or displace these
engineering tenets. Incredibly, in
2003, the USDOT made this NCHRP 504 statement a per se fait
accompli when they codified proscribed non
conforming local political whim as superior to CongressÕ uniform national traffic
control standard mandate!