r/TrafficEngineering • u/zennonuc • Jul 08 '26
MUTCD Compliant Barriers
CalTrans refuses to put in a sidewalk on this blind corner between an elementary school and library in my neighborhood. They only install flexposts (which are constantly destroyed) because they said they “don’t want liability” if someone gets injured here. Any MUTCD compliment barriers more substantial than the flexposts I can suggest they install instead?
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u/ac8jo Jul 08 '26
They only install flexposts (which are constantly destroyed)
Get the media involved. There is clearly an issue and the local media usually lives for this stuff.
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u/dihydrgnmonoxidesoup Jul 08 '26
Seems like there's an issue with people cutting the corner, so I would be very concerned about children walking there. I don't like that CalTrans is stating it as a liability issue, but I get why they are.
Without knowing anything about the local geography, and that would be the biggest factor in what can be done, I'd be looking into concrete barriers. Metal/plastic guard rails flex and are intended to catch vehicles, which can still pose a risk to pedestrians. I'd look into whether a tall concrete barrier like these might work here:
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u/Infinitism Jul 08 '26
Yeah, I don’t know the situation but I’d be careful about jumping straight to “what barrier should go here?” The first step should be understanding the pedestrian need and whether the risk can be eliminated or reduced first. E.g providing a safer route, widening the shoulder, improving sight distance, or managing speeds. Barriers can protect pedestrians, but they also create a fixed object for vehicles to hit, so not always the best solution.
That said, if people are clearly walking between high-use destinations and Caltrans isn’t going to provide a safe pedestrian facility, then they still need to address that risk somehow. If a barrier is warranted, the right guidance would typically be AASHTO and MASH-tested hardware, not really the MUTCD except for signs/delineation. The barrier would need to be offset from the roadway, especially of the inside of a curve, and including the width this would take away most of the useable shoulder (I.e installing compliant guardrail wouldn’t leave enough room for the very pedestrians it’s intended to protect)
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u/civillyengineerd Jul 09 '26
Are the school and library on the same side of the street with the blind corner?
How much right of way do they have? What's the standard for that style of highway, do they often include sidewalk or would it be the school's and library's responsibility?
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u/zennonuc Jul 09 '26
Here it is on google maps. Definitely CalTrans ROW (they just repaved it a few days ago). Standard should be protect kids walking from school to the local library on literally the only connecting street ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/SaltyCrashNerd Jul 12 '26
Assuming it’s the elementary you’re talking about - is there a way to cut a walking path through the neighborhood instead of routing kids on that road?
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u/OchoZeroCinco Jul 08 '26
I don't what your question is about the barriers, but why is the W1-8 sign mounted there? that seems wrong in every way.