Since 1935, the recipe book for building roads in the US has been a document called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Little known outside of transportation circles, the MUTCD has a big impact on public space: It lays down the law on street markings and design, standardizing signage and making driving as seamless as possible, so that motorists in New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles are all familiar with the same set of signs and road markings.

The MUTCD has been updated about once a decade, to stay current with changing transportation habits and technology; the current 10th edition appeared in 2009. On Tuesday, after a 14-year gap that has seen the rise of electric vehicles and self-driving technology — as well as a surge in pedestrian deaths on US roads — the Federal Highway Administration announced the long-awaited 11th version of the handbook.