April, 2002

400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

Refer to: HOTO-1

U.S. Department
of Transportation

Federal Highway
Administration

Mr. Daniel Paddick
Regional Traffic Engineer
State of New York Department
of Transportation
44 Hawley Street
Binghamton, NY 13901-3200

Dear Paddick:

Thank you for your January 18 letter and report recommending that the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) be revised to allow the optional use of red and yellow lights on the STOP/SLOW paddle sign face.

We apologize for the delay in responding to your request. All first class mail sent through the United States Postal Service to Federal agencies in the District of Columbia must be processed in a special way to protect government employees from the possibility of handling anthrax-tinted mail. The irradiation process delays delivery by several weeks.

The recommendation is based on an experimental report 6-117(e) - STOP/Slow Paddle undertaken by New York State Department of Transportation. The report concludes that the STOP/SLOW Paddle equipped with flashing red and yellow lights was determined to be as safe as the traditional STOP/SLOW paddle. Also, the report concludes that the STOP/SLOW paddle with flashing red and yellow lights was judged to be more effective and more visible than the traditional paddle.

Based on the recommendation provided in the report, we will take the recommendation under consideration for future changes to the MUTCD. Also, we will forward a copy of the your experimental report to the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Devices (NCUTCD) for review and comment. The NCUTCD is a national organization of individuals from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the National Association of County Engineers, the American Public Works Association, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and other organizations that have extensive experience in the installation and maintenance of traffic control devices. Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is responsible for adopting the changes contained in the MUTCD, the NCUTCD reviews traffic control devices and makes recommendations to assist FHWA on MUTCD issues.

At this time, we are preparing to issue a Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) to be published in the Federal Register early summer which will address several issues in Part 6 of the MUTCD. We suggest you check our website for proposed changes (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov) and the Federal Register website (http//www.access.gpo.gov/su docs/fedreg/frcont0l .html) for an opportunity to comment on proposed revisions to flashing lights on the STOP/SLOW Paddle in the NPA.

We appreciate you taking the time to write to us recommending a change to the Manual. We suggest you make a comment to the docket on the NPA.

If we can be of further assistance, please contact Mr. Charlie Sears at 202-366-1555.

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