DESIGN AIDS FOR LOCAL AREA TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Problems concerning the regulation of vehicle flows and speeds in local residential and commercial areas have become of prime importance to many local government authorities, with considerations of environment, amenity, safety, energy and accessibility having to be made. Very often there are conflicting and competing aims and objectives within proposed schemes, together with a variety of responses from different groups within the community. In particular, there are systems effects to be accounted for, such as the transfer of traffic from one street to another, or between local streets and main roads. A traffic planning model designed for use in local area street networks is described, and its use in a residential suburb of Melbourne illustrated. The model can account for the detailed layout of a street network, including individual street and intersection characteristics, and can be used to study the effects of different control devices and measures such as street closures, roundabouts, humps and 'slow points'. The possible locations of devices may be studied experimentally so that location patterns to achieve particular objectives (such as speed control or traffic diversion) may be met. Data requirements for the model are met largely by subdivision plans, supplemented where necessary by some traffic counts. For an engineer or planner with some knowledge of a given study area, the model offers a systematic tool for investigating the possible effects of alternative traffic management schemes, and the selection of appropriate plans to meet established goals and objectives. (TRRL)