Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
Refer to: HOTO-1

Mr. Dave N. Smith
Traffic Engineer
Kitsap County Department of Public Works
614 Division Street (MS-26)
Port Orchard, WA 98366-4699

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for your July 31 letter requesting experimentation with the Limited Sight Distance sign.

Section 1A.10 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) describes a formal process to follow in requesting experimentation. There is a list of 8 items (item E is not required in this situation) that are required when submitting a request for experimentation. These items are very important and each must be addressed individually in your request:

Item G, in particular, is important; it discusses the required research or evaluation plan. This plan should include such items as before/after speed studies, before/after crash statistics, etc. A brief discussion on how the data will be collected is also requested.

We require that the experimentation period be for a period of a minimum of 1 year. Tentative start and stop dates should be included in the plan.

Also, it is important to acknowledge that semi-annual reports will be provided along with a final report within 90 days of completion of experimentation.

The issue of limited sight distance has been addressed by our Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). They have reviewed your proposed sign and find it unacceptable. The symbol proposed has an excessive amount of detail. Research has proven that a symbol in "outline" form with simple, but prominent details is more recognizable. Enclosed is a sign that is recommended for use in limited sight distance situations. This sign is from TFHRC’s Revised Older Driver Handbook and has undergone extensive sign recognition testing. The SLOW/HILL BLOCKS VIEW sign is explicit in telling drivers what they should do and why they should do it and is recommended over both the LIMITED SIGHT DISTANCE sign (found in the 1988 MUTCD) and the HILL sign (W7-1a).

We suggest you consider experimenting with the SLOW/HILL BLOCKS VIEW sign (sample enclosed). Please follow the requirements found in Section 1A.10, addressing Items A-I, when submitting the request to experiment.

For future reference purposes, we have assigned the following official experimentation number and title to your request: II-484(Ex)-"Limited Sight Distance." Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

If you have any questions, please call Ms. Cherie L. Kittle at 202-366-2188.

Sincerely yours,

Shelley J. Row, P.E.
Director, Office of Transportation
Operations