WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC ON ACCESS MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

Access management is more than a set of technical traffic and land use control techniques. Property owners and the motoring public resist many access management solutions when these techniques and their benefits are not properly understood. While implementation of a comprehensive access management program will not eliminate controversy, it will greatly increase its chances of success. An access management program is a comprehensive set of policies, regulations, and actions required to successfully implement access management techniques. This paper offers outlines on two sources that discuss access management programs. One, Backyard Toolkit for Access Management, presents an approach to developing a comprehensive program that will not be supported by a single unifying legislative act. The second, Some Elements and Issues to Consider in the Implementation of a Comprehensive Access Management Program, describes a program that is supported by a comprehensive access management law. The remainder of the paper describes the four elements of an access management program that can act separately, overlap, or be combined, and two case studies. These elements include: agency coordination, marketing, education, and public involvement. Each element can be implemented separately, but will certainly serve more than one purpose. What is important is the understanding that the functionality of each of these components needs to occur if there is to be a successful implementation of an access management program. Included in the paper are two case studies of access management projects in Washington State.