Arterial road

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Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, California, United States, is a typical arterial road in a suburban area; this also has a bike lane PageMillRoad.png
Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, California, United States, is a typical arterial road in a suburban area; this also has a bike lane

An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. [1] [2] The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways or expressways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. Therefore, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature restrictions on private access. Because of their relatively high accessibility, many major roads face large amounts of land use and urban development, making them significant urban places. [3]

Contents

In traffic engineering hierarchy, an arterial road delivers traffic between collector roads and freeways. For new arterial roads, intersections are often reduced to increase traffic flow. In California, arterial roads are usually spaced every half mile, and have intersecting collector(s) and streets.

Definition

The Traffic Engineering Handbook describes "Arterials" as being either principal or minor. Both classes serve to carry longer-distance flows between important centers of activity. Arterials are laid out as the backbone of a traffic network and should be designed to afford the highest level of service, as is practical, as per the aforementioned "Traffic Engineering Handbook". [4]

Development

The construction and development of arterial roads is achieved through two methods. By far the most common is the upgrading of an existing right-of-way during subdivision development. When existing structures prohibit the widening of an existing road however, bypasses are often constructed. Because of the placement and general continuity of arterial road corridors, sewers, water mains, conduits and other infrastructure are placed beneath or beside the roadbed.

Specifications

In North America, signalized at-grade intersections are used to connect arterials to collector roads and other local roads (except where the intersecting road is a minor side street, in which case a stop sign is used instead). In Europe, large roundabouts are more commonly seen at the busier junctions. Speed limits are typically between 30 and 50 mph (50 and 80 km/h), depending on the density of use of the surrounding development. In school zones, speeds may be further reduced; likewise, in sparsely developed or rural areas, speeds may be increased. In western Canada, where freeways are scarce compared to the rest of North America, flashing early-warning amber lights are sometimes placed ahead of traffic lights on heavy signalized arterial roads so the speed limits can be raised to speeds of over 80 km/h. These warning lights are commonly found on high-speed arterial roads in British Columbia.

The width of arterial roads can range from four lanes to ten or even more; either as a dual carriageway or sharing a common center lane, such as a contraflow lane or as a central turning lane.

Environmental issues

As with other roadway environmental consequences derive from arterial roadways, including air pollution generation, noise pollution and surface runoff of water pollutants. Air pollution generation from arterials can be rather concentrated, since traffic volumes can be relatively high, and traffic operating speeds are often low to moderate. [5] Sound levels can also be considerable due to moderately high traffic volumes characteristic of arterials, and also due to considerable braking and acceleration that often occur on arterials that are heavily signalized. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramp meter</span> Traffic management system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic engineering (transportation)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual carriageway</span> Type of road

A dual carriageway (BrE) or a divided highway (AmE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are designed to higher standards with controlled access are generally classed as motorways, freeways, etc., rather than dual carriageways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade separation</span> Type of road junction

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road hierarchy</span> Hierarchy in road traffic

The road hierarchy categorizes roads according to their functions and capacities. While sources differ on the exact nomenclature, the basic hierarchy comprises freeways, arterials, collectors, and local roads. Generally, the functional hierarchy can more or less correspond to the hierarchy of roads by their owner or administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limited-access road</span> High-speed road with many characteristics of a controlled-access highway (freeway or motorway)

A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, and partial controlled-access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway, including limited or no access to adjacent property, some degree of separation of opposing traffic flow, use of grade separated interchanges to some extent, prohibition of slow modes of transport, such as bicycles, horse-drawn vehicles or ridden horses, or self-propelled agricultural machines; and very few or no intersecting cross-streets or level crossings. The degree of isolation from local traffic allowed varies between countries and regions. The precise definition of these terms varies by jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elevated highway</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collector road</span> Low-to-moderate-capacity road which serves to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads

A collector road or distributor road is a low-to-moderate-capacity road which serves to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads. Unlike arterials, collector roads are designed to provide access to residential properties. Rarely, jurisdictions differentiate major and minor collector roads, the former being generally wider and busier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road junction</span> Location where two or more roads meet

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Access management</span> Regulation system of roadway access

Access management, also known as access control, when used in the context of traffic and traffic engineering, generally refers to the regulation of interchanges, intersections, driveways and median openings to a roadway. Its objectives are to enable access to land uses while maintaining roadway safety and mobility through controlling access location, design, spacing and operation. This is particularly important for major roadways intended to provide efficient service to through-traffic movements.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of road transport terms</span>

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A managed lane is a type of highway lane that is operated with a management scheme, such as lane use restrictions or variable tolling, to optimize traffic flow, vehicle throughput, or both. Definitions and goals vary among transport agencies, but managed lanes are generally implemented to achieve an improved operational condition on a highway, such as improving traffic speed and throughput, reducing air pollution, and improving safety. Types of managed lanes include high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high-occupancy toll lanes, express toll lanes, reversible lanes, and bus lanes. Most managed lane facilities are located in the United States and Canada, although HOV and bus lanes can be found in many other countries; outside of the US and Canada, many countries use active traffic management that manage all lanes of a highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stroad</span> Type of thoroughfare

A stroad is a type of street–road hybrid. Common in the United States and Canada, stroads are wide arterials that often provide access to strip malls, drive-throughs, and other automobile-oriented businesses. Stroads have been criticized by urban planners for their safety issues and inefficiencies. While streets serve as a destination and provide access to shops and residences at safe traffic speeds, and roads serve as a high-speed connection that can efficiently move traffic at high speed and volume, stroads are often expensive, inefficient, and dangerous.

References

  1. Road Function Classifications (PDF) (Report). U.S. Federal Highway Administration. November 2000.
  2. "Mobility and transport: Road classification". European Commission.
  3. McLeod, Sam; Curtis, Carey (2019). "Contested urban streets: Place, traffic and governance conflicts of potential activity corridors". Cities. 88: 222–234. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2018.11.002. S2CID   159002874.
  4. Neuman, Timothy R. (1992). "Roadway Geometric Design". In Institute of Traffic Engineers (ed.). Traffic Engineering Handbook. Prentice Hall. p. 155. ISBN   978-0-13-926791-8.
  5. "Roadway air dispersion model". United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  6. Hogan, C. Michael (September 1973). "Analysis of highway noise". Journal of Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. Vol. 2, no. 3 (Biomedical and Life Sciences and Earth and Environmental Science Issue). pp. 387–392. doi:10.1007/BF00159677. ISSN   0049-6979.