Frequently Asked Questions
- Part 8 Traffic Controls for Highway-Rail Grade Crossings
The following list of questions relates to the MUTCD Part 8 Traffic
Controls for Highway-Rail Grade Crossings:
- Some crossbuck signs have a white retroreflective
strip on the sign support, and some don't. Shouldn't all crossbuck
signs have this strip, to help make the crossings more conspicuous?
- Who is responsible for installing the white retroreflective
strips on the Crossbuck and its support, the public agency or the
railroad?
- Is the retroreflective strip also required for use
on the highway-rail grade crossing advance warning sign?
- Can a YIELD or STOP sign supplement the Crossbuck
at passive highway-rail grade crossings?
- I understand that there are regulations that require
certain commercial vehicles and school buses to stop at all highway-rail
grade crossings except those posted as EXEMPT with an R15-3 sign.
Who determines whether a grade crossing is exempt from the requirement
for certain vehicles to always stop?
- At locations where traffic signals are at or near
highway-rail grade crossings, how does the MUTCD address the fact
that school buses are required to stop at crossings even if the traffic
signal shows a green indication?
- Why is the "LOOK" sign in Part 8 of the
MUTCD black and white rather than black and yellow?
- Are there any requirements related to quiet zones
and wayside horns in the MUTCD?
Part 8 Traffic Controls for Highway-Rail Grade Crossings:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Some crossbuck signs have a white retroreflective
strip on the sign support, and some don't. Shouldn't all crossbuck
signs have this strip, to help make the crossings more conspicuous?
A: Yes, and eventually they all will have the strips.
The requirement for these strips on both the front and back of crossbuck
sign supports was added with the 2000 edition of the MUTCD. At the
same time, a requirement was added to place a white retroreflective
strip on the back of each blade of the crossbuck sign itself. For
details, see Section 8B.03 of the 2003 edition of the MUTCD. The FHWA
is allowing a 10-year compliance period (until January 17, 2011) for
the installation of these retroreflective white strips to be added
to the crossbucks and supports..
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- Q: Who is responsible for installing
the white retroreflective strips on the Crossbuck and its support,
the public agency or the railroad?
A: The responsibility for installation of the strips
would be determined by the laws of each State, which may specify either
the public agency owning the road or the railroad company as being
responsible for installing and maintaining the crossbuck, its support,
and other associated devices.
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- Q: Is the retroreflective strip
also required for use on the highway-rail grade crossing advance warning
sign?
A: No, a retroreflective strip is not required on
highway-rail grade crossing advance warning signs, such as the W10-1.
However, Section 2A.21 indicates that, where engineering judgment
indicates a need to draw attention to a warning sign during nighttime
conditions, a retroreflective strip of yellow material may be used
on the sign support.
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- Q: Can a YIELD or STOP sign supplement
the Crossbuck at passive highway-rail grade crossings?
A: Yes, Section 8B.08 states, "Option: At the
discretion of the responsible State or local highway agency, STOP
(R1-1) or YIELD (R1-2) signs may be used at highway-rail grade crossings
that have two or more trains per day and are without automatic traffic
control devices….Option: For other highway-rail grade crossings
with passive warning devices, STOP or YIELD signs may be used based
on an engineering study." Also, in March 2006 the FHWA issued
a Policy memorandum giving further guidance on this subject. While
the Crossbuck sign is in fact a regulatory sign that requires vehicles
to yield to trains and stop if necessary, recent research indicates
insufficient road user understanding of and compliance with that regulatory
requirement when just the Crossbuck sign is present at passive crossings.
Therefore, FHWA encourages consideration of the use of YIELD signs
in conjunction with the Crossbuck sign at all passive crossings except
where train crews always provide flagging to roadway users. Use of
STOP signs at passive crossings should be limited to unusual conditions
where requiring all vehicles to make a full stop is deemed essential
by an engineering study that considers lines of sight, highway and
railroad characteristics, crash history, and other factors. Indiscriminate
use of the STOP sign at all or many passive grade crossings can cause
poor compliance, increasing the risk of collisions associated with
a high non-compliance rate. The policy memo may be viewed at: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/policy/yieldstop_guidememo/yieldstop_policy.htm.
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- Q: I understand that there are
regulations that require certain commercial vehicles and school buses
to stop at all highway-rail grade crossings except those posted as
EXEMPT with an R15-3 sign. Who determines whether a grade crossing
is exempt from the requirement for certain vehicles to always stop?
A: Even if a YIELD sign or just a Crossbuck sign
is posted at a highway-rail grade crossing, the Code of Federal Regulations
(49 CFR 392.10) requires drivers of vehicles carrying passengers for
hire, school buses carrying students, and vehicles carrying hazardous
materials to stop before crossing the tracks. State or local laws
or regulations establish which crossings may be posted as "exempt"
from this requirement to stop except when a train, locomotive, or
other railroad equipment is approaching or occupying the highway-rail
grade crossing, or the driver's view is blocked.
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- Q: At locations where traffic
signals are at or near highway-rail grade crossings, how does the
MUTCD address the fact that school buses are required to stop at crossings
even if the traffic signal shows a green indication?
A: Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations govern
the operation of school buses and other types of commercial motor
vehicles' operations at highway-rail grade crossings. This is not
a MUTCD issue.
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- Q: Why is the "LOOK"
sign in Part 8 of the MUTCD black and white rather than black and
yellow?
A: The LOOK (R15-8) sign is designed as a regulatory
sign (black on white) because it reminds road users of the regulatory
requirement to look both ways for trains before crossing, and it is
placed at the point where this regulation applies, rather than in
advance.
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- Q: Are there any requirements
related to quiet zones and wayside horns in the MUTCD?
A: The quiet zone requirements have been published
in a Federal Railroad Administration rulemaking concerning Title 49,
Part 222, of the Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR 222). The MUTCD
only contains information on the NO TRAIN HORN (W10-9) sign that shall
be installed as a supplemental plaque below the W10-1 advance warning
sign at each highway-rail grade crossing where there is a Federal
Railroad Administration authorization for trains to not sound a horn.
Also, the FHWA issued an Interim Approval (IA-2) in August 2004 allowing
the use of wayside horns at grade crossings equipped with active devices
under certain conditions. This Interim Approval can be viewed at:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/waysidehorn8204.pdf
(PDF 46KB).
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