What is Access Management?


    Many members of White River Citizens United are active in many different, ongoing efforts
    to make White River Township a better place for everyone to live.

    WRCU members have been meeting with city, county, and state officials about access
    management along State Road 135. These efforts have received positive feedback from
    the officials, some of whom were amazed that citizens learned as much about the topic as
    they had.

    For an existing example of access management, look at how Marlin Drive (on the west side
    of SR135 between Fairview and Smith Valley Road) connects Kroger with Menards. This
    helps reduce the congestion of State Road 135 and allows for less curb cuts along an
    already-congested road.

    They’ve collected the below information as an introduction to the topic of access
    management.

    Importance of Access Management

    With fewer new arterial roadways being built, the need for effective systems management
    strategies is greater than ever before. Access management is particularly attractive as it
    offers a variety of benefits to a broad range of stakeholders. By managing roadway
    access, government agencies can increase public safety, extend the life of major
    roadways, reduce traffic congestion, support alternative transportation modes, and even
    improve the appearance and quality of the built environment.

    Without access management, the function and character of major roadway corridors can
    deteriorate rapidly. Failure to manage access is associated with the following adverse
    social, economic, and environmental impacts:

    An increase in vehicular crashes,
    More collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists,
    Accelerated reduction in roadway efficiency,
    Unsightly commercial strip development,
    Degradation of scenic landscapes,
    More cut-through traffic in residential areas due to overburdened arterials,
    Homes and businesses adversely impacted by a continuous cycle of widening roads, and
    Increased commute times, fuel consumption, and vehicular emissions as numerous
    driveways and traffic signals intensify congestion and delays along major roads.
    Not only is this costly for government agencies and the public, but it also adversely affects
    corridor businesses. Closely spaced and poorly designed driveways make it more difficult
    for customers to enter and exit businesses safely. Access to corner businesses may be
    blocked by queuing traffic. Customers begin to patronize businesses with safer, more
    convenient access and avoid businesses in areas of poor access design. Gradually the
    older developed areas begin to deteriorate due to access and aesthetic problems, and
    investment moves to newer better-managed corridors.

    After access problems have been created, they are difficult to solve. Reconstructing an
    arterial roadway is costly and disruptive to the public and abutting homes and businesses.
    The shallow property depth, multiple owners, and right-of-way limitations common to older
    corridors generally preclude effective redesign of access and site circulation. In some
    cases, a new arterial or bypass must be built to replace the functionally obsolescent
    roadway, and the process begins again in a new location. Access management programs
    can help stop this cycle of functional obsolescence, thereby protecting both the public and
    private investment in major roadway corridors.

    Elements of a Comprehensive Program

    The manual provides specific guidance to state, regional and local agencies on developing
    and implementing an access management program or corridor access management plan.
    Comprehensive, system-wide access management programs involve the following key
    elements:

    Classifying roadways into a logical hierarchy according to function,
    Planning, designing, and maintaining roadway systems based on functional classification
    and road geometry,
    Defining acceptable levels of access for each class of roadway to preserve its function,
    including criteria for the spacing of signalized and unsignalized access points,
    Applying appropriate geometric design criteria and traffic engineering analysis to each
    allowable access point, and
    Establishing policies, regulations, and permitting procedures to carry out and support the
    program.
    State and local agencies may adopt specific policies, directives, regulations, or guidelines
    that are directly or indirectly related to access management. Access management
    regulations may address a variety of issues, such as access spacing and design, and are
    more enforceable than guidelines. Local agencies also establish land development
    regulations that affect access outcomes, such as subdivision regulations and lot
    dimensional requirements.

    Another option is for state transportation agencies or local governments to acquire
    property access rights through purchase or eminent domain. The acquisition of access
    rights, while often costly and time consuming, is a strong and long lasting solution.

    Some aspects of access management are addressed at the development review stage, in
    response to a request for a development or connection permit. This may be accomplished
    through the subdivision or site plan review process of local agencies or during the access
    permitting process of state agencies. Larger developments are often required to submit a
    traffic impact assessment to assist the agency in its review.

    Access management is also addressed through roadway design. Geometric design
    features, such as interchanges, frontage roads, medians, median openings, auxiliary
    lanes, driveway design, and intersection channelization are used to manage access and
    vehicular turning movements. Geometric design criteria are normally included in design
    manuals and design objectives are advanced through the roadway improvement process.

    Principles of Access Management

    Access management programs seek to limit and consolidate access along major roadways,
    while promoting a supporting street system and unified access and circulation systems for
    development. The result is a roadway that functions safely and efficiently for its useful life,
    and a more attractive corridor. The goals of access management are accomplished by
    applying the following principles:

    Provide a Specialized Roadway System: Different types of roadways serve different
    functions. It is important to design and manage roadways according to the primary
    functions that they are expected to serve.
    Limit Direct Access to Major Roadways: Roadways that serve higher volumes of regional
    through traffic need more access control to preserve their traffic function. Frequent and
    direct property access is more compatible with the function of local and collector roadways.
    Promote Intersection Hierarchy: An efficient transportation network provides appropriate
    transitions from one classification of roadway to another. For example, freeways connect to
    arterials through an interchange that is designed for the transition. Extending this concept
    to other roadways results in a series of intersection types that range from the junction of
    two major arterial roadways, to a residential driveway connecting to a local street.
    Locate Signals to Favor Through Movements: Long, uniform spacing of intersections and
    signals on major roadways enhances the ability to coordinate signals and to ensure
    continuous movement of traffic at the desired speed. Failure to carefully locate access
    connections or median openings that later become signalized, can cause substantial
    increases in arterial travel times. In addition, poor signal placement may lead to delays that
    cannot be overcome by computerized signal timing systems.
    Preserve the Functional Area of Intersections and Interchanges: The functional area of an
    intersection or interchange is the area that is critical to its safe and efficient operation. This
    is the area where motorists are responding to the intersection or interchange,
    decelerating, and maneuvering into the appropriate lane to stop or complete a turn.
    Access connections too close to intersections or interchange ramps can cause serious
    traffic conflicts that result in crashes and congestion.
    Limit the Number of Conflict Points: Drivers make more mistakes and are more likely to
    have collisions when they are presented with the complex driving situations created by
    numerous conflict points. Conversely, simplifying the driving task contributes to improved
    traffic operations and fewer collisions. A less complex driving environment is accomplished
    by limiting the number and type of conflicts between vehicles, vehicles and pedestrians,
    and vehicles and bicyclists.
    Separate Conflict Areas: Drivers need sufficient time to address one set of potential
    conflicts before facing another. The necessary spacing between conflict areas increases
    as travel speed increases, to provide drivers adequate perception and reaction time.
    Separating conflict areas helps to simplify the driving task and contributes to improved
    traffic operations and safety.
    Remove Turning Vehicles from Through Traffic Lanes: Turning lanes allow drivers to
    decelerate gradually out of the through lane and wait in a protected area for an
    opportunity to complete a turn. This reduces the severity and duration of conflict between
    turning vehicles and through traffic and improves the safety and efficiency of roadway
    intersections.
    Use Nontraversable Medians to Manage Left-Turn Movements: Medians channel turning
    movements on major roadways to controlled locations. Research has shown that the
    majority of access-related crashes involve left turns. Therefore, nontraversable medians
    and other techniques that minimize left turns or reduce the driver workload can be
    especially effective in improving roadway safety.
    Provide a Supporting Street and Circulation System: Well-planned communities provide a
    supporting network of local and collector streets to accommodate development, as well as
    unified property access and circulation systems. Interconnected street and circulation
    systems support alternative modes of transportation and provide alternative routes for
    bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. Alternatively, commercial strip development with
    separate driveways for each business forces even short trips onto arterial roadways,
    thereby reducing safety and impeding mobility.