Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In

Pedestrians won't get "Walk" signals at thousands of intersections thanks to a decision by a powerful group of engineers in Washington on Thursday.

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices — which establishes rules for road signs, signals and markings — opted to not require the "signal heads" for pedestrians — signs that display the "walk" or "don't walk" signal — at every intersection, despite pressure from an insurgent group of progressive engineers.

"Engineers may continue to not install pedestrian signal heads ... this is our transportation profession," engineering consultant Bill Schultheiss, one of the insurgents, tweeted after the ruling.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The NCUTCD's decision comes at a time when pedestrian deaths are on the rise. About 6,000 people were killed while walking last year, a nearly 50-percent increase over the last five years.

"The committee not passing requirement to provide pedestrian signal when installing new traffic signal is very disappointing," Dongho Chang, Seattle's lead traffic engineer and one of the engineers who pushed for the change, told Streetsblog in an email. "We’ll continue to work with members that have concerns to change their perspectives."

If the changes would have been approved they would have become part of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is used as a guideline on every road project in America. NCUTCD said it is not sure when the next edition of the manual will be published.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

StreetSmart Special Edition – LA Evictions at Caltrans Owned Properties for Formerly Homeless “Reclaimers”

Benito Flores, one of the Reclaimers, is resisting eviction to draw attention to inequities with how housing laws are being applied to people experiencing homelessness

July 15, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines

I bet we can come up with some reasons Sacramento isn't getting higher scores on its bike ratings.

July 15, 2025

Commentary: The French City of Lyon Shows How to Connect Oakland and Western Alameda

An amazing 24/7 bike-ped-transit connection can be made for pennies on the dollar—if the Bay Area can get past its car-brain affliction.

July 15, 2025

Monday’s Headlines

R's clearly think gas prices are the way to hold on to the house.

July 14, 2025

These U.S. Communities’ So-Called ‘Complete Streets’ Policies Don’t Even Deserve the Name

Any city can call itself a "Complete Streets" champion. But not all of them are walking the walk — and if they don't, a top organization says they'll no longer give them a platform on its esteemed "best of" ranking.

July 13, 2025
See all posts