PRACTICAL RESEARCH OF ACCESS SYSTEMS OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE NUMBER OF CONNECTION DIRECTIONS ON THE JOURNEY LENGTH

In a model study carried out in 2000, the relations between features of access systems and the traffic livability were examined. Following up from this study, a number of the results were tested in practice. This report records this practical test and the method that was used. The present study examines a number of residential areas, their connections with surrounding distributor roads, and the number of different directions which these connections lead to. The research question is whether an increase in the number of connection directions leads to a decrease in the distance travelled by destination traffic in residential streets, as appeared from the model study. To answer this question, it is necessary to gather and process data in which the journey length of destination traffic can be established. That is why, in the study, an (as yet) unusual method was developed and used. In four residential areas of the Dutch municipality of Enschede, two types of observations were carried out: traffic intensity measurements in residential streets and number-plate registration at a number of important entry and exit roads. These measurements were used to determine the journey length of destination traffic. A comparison of the four residential areas showed that, after correcting for area size, an increase in the number of connection directions leads to a decrease in the journey length of destination traffic. The observations also provided information that can be interesting for other research. The method used appeared to be useful in practice for determining the journey length of destination traffic. Although the scale of the practical research was too limited to make statistically reliable statements, additional research could use the same method.