Exploring the Role of Sponsoring Agencies in Shaping the MUTCD Using Supervised and Unsupervised Text Mining

Abstract

Preparing the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) involves gathering inputs from various public and the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) sponsoring agencies. The NCUTCD assists in developing standards, guidelines, and warrants for traffic control devices and practices employed to regulate, warn, and guide traffic flow on roadways. This organization advises the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other relevant agencies on suggested updates and interpretations to the MUTCD and other nationally recognized standards. Examples of such sponsoring agencies include AASHTO, ASCE, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), American Highway Users Alliance (AHUA), National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), National Association of County Engineers (NACE), International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), and American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA). Other national and regional agencies have also been invited to provide feedback on the draft manual. Although all comments are considered valuable, those from federal agencies may hold more weight due to their expertise in specific subject matters. This study utilized text-mining techniques to analyze the comments from the sponsoring agencies, aiming to identify commonalities and distinct features in their feedback. The main question addressed was whether each agency effectively represented its interests and if there were shared interests among them. The study also explored the suggestions, questions, and recommendations raised by each agency. The findings revealed that some concerns were shared among agencies, although in most cases, they represented individual interests. Specifically, some agencies shared a common interest in speed limits, whereas others had similar topics concerning signs and markings. Other shared interests are bike lanes, 85th percentile speed, and pedestrian- and bus lane–related topics. This study’s insights into the interests and concerns of various MUTCD sponsoring agencies can aid in creating more effective, engaging, collaborative, and well-rounded technical documents. As a limitation, this study only used the current MUTCD revision comments, and hence the results reflect only recent concerns from the agencies. The Federal Highway Administration collects comments from both the general public and NCUTCD sponsoring agencies for modifying the MUTCD. This study used the comments from the NCUTCD sponsoring agencies submitted by May 2021 and conducted supervised and unsupervised text mining analysis to understand any available patterns, differences, or commonalities in the agencies’ concerns in shaping the MUTCD. The findings indicate the presence of various shared interests among the agencies and some specific features that were specific to the agencies. In addition, it was observed that the majority of the agencies have a great concern for the safety and well-being of society by showing a common interest in safety influencing factors such as speed, road signs, and the definition and use of the 85th percentile speed. This understanding can foster greater collaboration among the agencies, leading to more well-rounded and comprehensive guidelines.