July 23, 2003

Refer to: HOTO-1

Village Traffic Engineer
Village of Downers Grove
Public Works Department
5101 Walnut Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515-4074

Dear Ms Fera:

Thank you for your June 26 letter requesting information on how to gain approval for experimentation with yellow-green (Y-G) pavement markings for a school crosswalk in Downers Grove Village.

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Section 1A.10 provides detailed requirements and process on how to develop and submit a request for permission to experiment with traffic control devices. The MUTCD Section 1A.10 can be accessed via the Federal Highway Administration’s website at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov. For your reference, I am sending with this letter a copy of the request for experimentation with the Y-G pavement markings sent in by the city of Scottsdale, Arizona.

We have received several inquiries on experimentation with the Y-G pavement marking materials. We have advised requesting agencies to collect the following data as minimum for both before and after conditions of their experimentation:
Vehicle speeds
Vehicle volumes
Pedestrian volumes
Driver behavior (on-set of braking, yielding, etc.)
Pedestrian behavior (when there is no crossing guard)
Weather conditions
Time of day
Time of year

We also recommended a white stripe be painted parallel to the fluorescent Y-G stripe as a supplement to contrast the fluorescent Y-G markings. The reason for this recommendation is both for daytime visibility, where the fluorescent Y-G can lose contrast in dirty areas; and nighttime where the fluorescent color would not be as bright as white. As you have proposed in your letter, a control site with the conventional crosswalk markings at a comparable location with similar characteristics and traffic volumes is necessary in order to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the Y-G markings. This same data would also be collected at that site. If crossing guards are used at selected crossings, then they should be used at both sites.

Please develop an evaluation plan as part of your request to include the items mentioned above. To expedite the approval process you may fax your request for experimentation to us when ready at 202-366-3225.

For reference purposes, we have assigned your request the following official experimentation number and title: 7-59(E)–"Yellow-Green Pavement Markings for School Crosswalk—Downers Grove IL." Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

If you have any questions, please call Ms. Guan Xu at 202-366-5892.

Sincerely yours,
/s/ Vincent P. Pearce
Vincent P. Pearce
Acting Director, Office of Transportation
Operations

Enclosure