MUTCD/California

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CA MUTCD–specific signs

The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) is the standard for road signs, signals, and markings in the U.S. state of California. It is developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) "in substantial conformance to" the national MUTCD developed by the Federal Highway Administration.

The CA MUTCD defines the content and placement of traffic signs. Design specifications are detailed on a section of the Caltrans website that is based on the national Standard Highway Signs and Markings (SHSM) document. The latest edition of the CA MUTCD was published in 2014 and last revised in January 2024. The latest sign specifications were published on May 14, 2024 (as of October 2024). [1]

Usage in OpenStreetMap

A traffic sign specific to the CA MUTCD is mapped as a node node tagged traffic_sign=US:CA:Z1-2, where "US:CA" is the state's ISO 3166 code and Z1-2 is the sign's alphanumeric designation.

Sign designations

Each standard sign or plaque in the CA MUTCD and on the Caltrans website is assigned an alphanumeric designation and organized by series. A sign designation generally follows the same format as in the national MUTCD and SHSD. However, some series are specific to the CA MUTCD, and the sign designation for a state-specific sign includes "(CA)" at the end, which is not included in the traffic_sign=* value.

MUTCD-CA R73-3.svg
Category Series Sign Variant
R 73 - 3 (CA)
Regulatory Intersection Lane Control Left Turn Arrow No U Turn California-specific
MUTCD-CA R28(S).svg
Category Series Sign Variant
R 28 - (S) (CA)
Regulatory No Parking Any Time with Arrow No Stopping Any Time with Arrow California-specific

Very rarely, Caltrans uses position and orientation suffixes such as "Grid" and "(Lt)" in state-specific designations. In some older specifications, the suffix after the hyphen indicates the size of the sign. Neighborhood electric vehicle signs have the prefix "NEV-" before the sign category.

Signs by series

Main article: MUTCD#Signs by series

The following pages contain a correspondence between Caltrans-specific signs and their most likely tagging in OpenStreetMap:

Other standardized signs

California Public Utilities Commission

The California Public Utilities Commission has designated the following signs and signals to be used in conjunction with CA MUTCD signs at railroad crossings: [2]

Standard Designation Name Tags Notes
CPUC 1-R.gif 1-R Crossbuck Sign on a Post railway=level_crossing crossing=uncontrolled crossing:barrier=no crossing:saltire=yes on 3 nodes See MUTCD/R#R15: Rail and Light Rail‎
CPUC 8.gif 8 Flashing Light Signal Assembly railway=level_crossing crossing:barrier=no crossing:bell=yes crossing:light=yes crossing:saltire=yes on 2 nodes See MUTCD/R#R15: Rail and Light Rail‎
CPUC 8-A.gif 8-A Flashing Light Signal Assembly with Additional Flashing Light Signals over the Roadway on a Cantilevered Arm railway=level_crossing crossing:barrier=no crossing:bell=yes crossing:light=yes crossing:saltire=yes on 2 nodes See MUTCD/R#R15: Rail and Light Rail‎
CPUC 9.gif 9 Flashing Light Signal Assembly with Automatic Gate Arm railway=level_crossing crossing:barrier=yes crossing:bell=yes crossing:light=yes crossing:saltire=yes on 2 nodes See MUTCD/R#R15: Rail and Light Rail‎
CPUC 9-A.gif 9-A Flashing Light Signal Assembly with Automatic Gate Arm and Additional Flashing Light Signals over the Roadway on a Cantilevered Arm railway=level_crossing crossing:barrier=yes crossing:bell=yes crossing:light=yes crossing:saltire=yes on 2 nodes See MUTCD/R#R15: Rail and Light Rail‎
CPUC 1-X.gif 1-X Private Crossing Sign railway=level_crossing crossing=uncontrolled crossing:saltire=no ownership=private access=permissive related_law=CIV 1008
CPUC 1-D.gif 1-D Pedestrian Crossing Sign railway=crossing crossing=uncontrolled crossing:saltire=no foot=designated bicycle=designated

City of Berkeley

The City of Berkeley Transportation Division has a coded system of seven signs for cycling infrastructure. [3]

Type Designation Name Tags Notes
1A Identification cycleway=shared_lane bicycle=designated lcn=yes How to identify it as a bike boulevard? cyclestreet=yes is often used but possibly misleading.
1B Destination and Distance Info destination:bicycle=Willard Park;Telegraph;UC Berkeley;Downtown on the road ahead
destination=Willard Park;Telegraph;UC Berkeley;Downtown distance=0.2 mi;0.5 mi;0.9 mi;1.6 mi on the traffic sign node
1C Destination and Distance Info (at Boulevard Crossing) destination:bicycle=Telegraph;UC Berkeley on Channing Way to the left
destination:bicycle=Aquatic Park on Channing Way to the right
destination:bicycle=Telegraph;UC Berkeley;Aquatic Park distance=0.6 mi;0.6 mi;1.8 mi on the traffic sign node
1D Route Guidance cycleway=shared_lane bicycle=designated lcn=yes on 9th Street to the right How to identify it as a bike boulevard? cyclestreet=yes is often used but possibly misleading.
2 Off-route Wayfinding cycleway=shared_lane bicycle=designated lcn=yes on Millegass Bowditch to the left How to identify it as a bike boulevard? cyclestreet=yes is often used but possibly misleading.
3 Street Identification cycleway=shared_lane bicycle=designated lcn=yes name=Milvia Street How to identify it as a bike boulevard? cyclestreet=yes is often used but possibly misleading.
4 Advance Street Identification cycleway=shared_lane bicycle=designated lcn=yes on Milvia Street ahead How to identify it as a bike boulevard? cyclestreet=yes is often used but possibly misleading.

External links