Access Management Principles

Introduction and Overview

Efficient traffic throughput

Neil Spiller
FHWA, Washington, D.C.

Right to property access

Presentation

General overview Benefits and Consequences Access Management in Practice Elements of an AM Program

Introduction to Access Management Principles

Part 1

Overview

Introduction to Access Management Principles

What is Managing Access?

Managing and Planning the Spacing and Design of:
Driveways Median Openings Traffic Signals

Interchanges
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Definition of AM

FORMAL: Access management is the programmatic control of the location, spacing, design, and operation of driveways, median openings, interchanges, and street connections to a roadway. (TRB Manual) INFORMAL: Where the road meets the driveways
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Purpose of AM:
Balance Mobility vs. Access

Freeways
Major Arterials Minor Arterials
Major Collectors
Minor Collectors

Local Streets

Introduction to Access Management Principles

A Very Brief History of AM part 1 of 4

New Jersey 1902 established speedways for horses and bicycles. No public streets or other highways shall cross or intersect the speedway at grade without consent of the county U.S. Supreme Court 1906 decided that access control along highways was a sovereign power of the states.

Introduction to Access Management Principles

A Very Brief History of AM part 2 of 4

Between 1900 and 1920 the number of automobiles grew from 8K to 10M and lobby groups emerged (e.g., AAA and AASHO) 1919- DDE undertook a transcontinental military convey from D.C. to San Francisco (62 days) 1921 Federal-Aid act established a system of national routes
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A Very Brief History of AM part 3 of 4

In 1920s it became apparent that automobile (related) deaths were soaring. In 1937 NY and RI established the first statewide statutes that included abutting access control and required permits and reviews as part of their state route adoption plan By late 1940s almost every state legislated permitting accesses to some degree and court decisions began to confirm that public safety and mobility essentially trumped a landowners absolute right to access at any point
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Basic right to access

A property owner has right to have access (i.e., not to be landlocked) but does NOT have right to expect absolute access at any point, NOR should they expect compensation for relocated access as long as the government shows justifiable cause and least-impact.
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A Very Brief History of AM part 4 of 4

National standards for individual driveway design were developed in 1960 AASHO An Informational Guide for Preparing Private Driveway Regulations for Major Highways NCHRP Report 121 (1971) Protection of Highway Utility stands as one of the earliest, most recognized discussions of access control Beginning of modern AM credited to Colorado, 1979, when they created 1st comprehensive principals of AM and spelled out the safety, aesthetic and delay-reducing benefits of AM incorporated into statute
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Colorado, 1979
The lack of adequate access management on the highway system and the proliferation of driveways and other access approaches is a major contributor to highway accidents and the greatest single factor behind the functional deterioration of highways in this state. As new accesses are constructed and signals erected, the speeds and capacity of the roadways decrease, and congestion challenges to the motorist increase.
-- Colorado State Highway Access Code

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National Perspective
The lack of access control along arterial highways has been the largest single factor contributing to the obsolescence of highway facilities
NCHRP Report 121 Protection of Highway Utility

Every study since the 1940s has indicated a direct and significant link between access frequency and accidents
International R/W Assoc. conference paper, 1999
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Part 2

Benefits and Consequences

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Driveways are inevitable and necessary but as their numbers go up, so too does the propensity for accidents in that corridor.

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Benefits of AM
Preserve integrity of the roadway system Improve safety and capacity Extend functional life of the roadways Preserve public investment in infrastructure Preserve private investment in properties Provide a more efficient (and predictable) motorist experience Improve thru times through a corridor Improve aesthetics (less pavement, more green)
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Groups Who Benefit Which groups will benefit from good AM?
Motorists Cyclists Peds Business Owners Communities
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% of Driveway Crashes by Movement

16%

Heres a scoop!
27% 10% 47%

The majority of access-related crashes involve LTs (63%)

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Composite Crash Rate Indices

Crash Index: Ratio of crashes to Access Points per Mile

Crash rate indices increase as # of access points per mile increases

5 4.1 4 3 2.8

2.1
2 1.3 1 1 0 10 20 30 40 # Access Points per Mile
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1.7

50

60

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AM applied here through physical means

AM in the Transportation and Land Use Cycle

AM applied here through administrative means

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Whats the bottom line?

Over-arching Goal of AM: Limit the number and impact of driver decision and conflict points from impacting on through traffic.

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Conflicts, contd

Traffic Conflict

Think of a single traffic conflict as one rock in a pond. The ripples are easy to see and are predictable. However, when dozens of rocks are thrown in at once, the ripples are dynamic, they create chaos, and it is difficult to avoid one at the cost of another.
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Conflict Points

Each access point creates potential conflicts between through traffic and turning traffic.
Diverge Merge Cross

Stop / Queue

Weave
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Conflicts

16 Crossing 8 Diverge

1 Crossing

3 Diverge 4 Merge 8 TOTAL

8 Merge
32 TOTAL

(and dont forget pedestrian and bicycle movements too!)

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Consequences of Poor AM
Increase in crashes and crash rates Poor capacity throughput Increased delays Reduced roadway efficiency Potential for unsightly strip development Decreased property values Potential for unwanted cut-thru traffic Potential for less desirable experience, hence, less customers will want to make the trip
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Effect of Speed Differential to Propensity for Crashes

Relative Crash Ratio

100 80

90x

60
40 20 3.3x
Baseline

23x

10

+10 MPH (20)

+20 MPH +25 MPH (30) (35)

Speed Differential (MPH)

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How to improve Consequences Unclutter the corridor (Pruning) Direct where driveways are best suited Assign turn movements by defining and separating them Develop guidelines for property access, thru traffic, and hierarchy of streets Enforce against violations and poor practices in siting driveways and streets
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Part 3

Access Management in Practice

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Use non-traversable medians to separate traffic and direct motorists where to access properties. Use turn lanes to queue separate movements and to free up through movements

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Driveway Bypass Lane

Where restricted from placing a median, can you install a bypass lane?

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Median Redesign
Note: 1) increased separation between intersections 2) Introduction of U-turns to replace former movements

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Results Fewer accidents on Managed roads

14

Regular Arterials
12.9 12.5 12.9 10.5

12

Accidents Per Million Miles Traveled

10
8 6 4 2 0

Highly Access Managed Arterials

7.2 5.0 3.5

Source: "Colorado Access Control Demonstration Project" - 1985

Colfax Alameda Federal Wadsworth Havana Ave Blvd Ave Ave Ave

Parker Arapahoe Dr Ave

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Results Higher thru speeds on Managed roads

Effects of Access Management on travel speeds in the P.M. peak hour

Colfax Alameda Federal

Wadsworth
Havana Parker

"Regular Arterials 23 28 25 25 30
Highly Accessed-Managed Arterials

Arapahoe

48 46
0 10 20
Speed (mph)

30

40

50
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Introduction to Access Management Principles

Signal Spacing Variables Tweak these . . .

Intersection spacing Overall cycle lengths Cycle phasing

To Seek these . . .
Progression speed Progression efficiency
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Relationship between cycle length, signal spacing, and speed

-mile
30 MPH 40 MPH 60 sec na

1/3 - mile
80 sec 60 sec

-mile
120 sec 100 sec

50 MPH

na

50 sec

80 sec
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Introduction to Access Management Principles

What methods are used?

Permits, legislation and corridor planning Medians Auxiliary lanes Signals and signal spacing Driveway location, spacing, and design Corner clearance Cross-access and joint access Frontage roads and connectors
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Who is Responsible for AM?

Professionals that guide urban development Planners Engineers Architects Approval agents (Boards, Councils, etc.) Developers Land use attorneys Agency staff Non professionals Citizens, motorists Property Owners Ad-hoc groups (pedestrians, bicycles, social change)

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What is

Functional Intersection Area

and why is this important?

The influence area associated with a driveway includes The impact length (distance back at which cars begin to be affected) Perception-reaction distance And the car length

Upstream length > Downstream length

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Functional Intersection Area

The upstream and downstream areas of influence that affect driver decision. Note that closely spaced driveways and intersections have overlapping areas.

Elements that impact the functional intersection area:

stopping sight distance; RT-out acceleration; slowing to turn; perception-reaction time; queue storage; etc., are there more?
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Application of Access Window

Window for left or right

Window for RT only

No window on higher street

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Different types of Access Controls

Police power Eminent domain Condemnation Statutes and statutory designation

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In plain English?!

An agency uses eminent domain to purchase or take the right of access. An agency uses their police power to approve or deny the application for a driveway and impart public safety

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Part 4

Elements of an AM Program

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Elements of an AM Program

Have administrative rules, ordinances or guidelines Educate your boards, councils, and public Establish an approval authority Have geometric design standards Provide staff training and education re: policies Monitor approvals (inspect) and conduct agency evaluations Develop an request/approval process and fees, etc. Provide consistent and justifiable application of standards Document meetings, contacts, and written communications Allow for appeals and justified deviations/exceptions
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Every stakeholder needs to be on board with the plan and aware of the consequences of, and need for, guidance, structure and goal

Schools

Sports

Access Management
Mayor, Council, Board DPZ, DPW Staff Design statutes Motorists and property owners Improved traffic progression, safety
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Oversight Leadership Day-to-day execution Guiding principles Stakeholders Product

School Board Principal Teachers Lesson Plans Parents

Owner Coach Players Playbook, rules Fans Quality of effort and wins / losses

Graduates

Introduction to Access Management Principles

Have a plan stick to it!

uncontrolled access over time

controlled access via permitting

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Levels of Approval
Federal interstates / State highways Local highways and streets Local site plan approvals must meet other agencies regulations (zoning, R/W, EPA) Adopted Master Plans Zoning and long range planning must be considered Other stakeholders? Adjacent/abutting property owners? Public?
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Traffic Impact Study Areas

Very small site or re-use
Owner-transfer, same use-upgrade or isolated (i.e., non urban) location

Scope:
Driveway only or nearest intersection

Small site, local impact

Bank, restaurant, gas station

Closest intersections upand down stream

Medium site, destination oriented Small strip retail,

small office or residential complex

Radius of neighborhood intersections

Large site, regionally impacting Shopping center,

large residential/retail complex, bigbox store Introduction to Access Management Principles

Large cordon of intersections, including major connections

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FHWAs Role
To champion the role that AM serves in improving safety and reducing delay Increase awareness of, and benefits of . . To sponsor AM-related studies and enable academic research To educate (through NHI courses, et al)

Key Products
Benefits of Access Management Tri-fold
Introduction to Access Management Principles
AM DVD

AM Resource DVD

Public Meeting Handout and CD

CD

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FHWA does not . . .

Write AM guidelines for states, et al Mandate AM regulations (although we certainly advise ) as a general rule Make decisions on new access on interstates (the states do)
Caveat because FHWA oversees Federal funding, we have a mandated role in reviewing, recommending, and approving some state-sponsored activities regarding (mostly) the interstates
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Federal Aid Highway System

(Routes eligible for Federal aid)

Interstate System
Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Highways Routes of highest importance Shall not exceed 43,000 mi.

National Highway System

Shall not exceed 178,250 mi. All routes on the Interstate System are part of NHS Includes STRAHNET routes
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FHWA Functional Classification Guidelines

Principal arterials Minor arterial streets (roads in rural areas) Collector streets (roads in rural areas) Local Streets (roads in rural areas)

For Rural, Urban, or Small Urban designations

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TRBs website
www.accessmanagement.info

Complete proceedings and prior years too!

Ten principles of AM -- animation

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