Title: The difficult distributor : the problem of the traffic route in residential areas
Abstract: Australian road hierarchy and neighbourhood planning practices have created large development cells whose internal roads take on a significant traffic function. These roads (the 'distributors') are characterised by a conflict of functions, rather than a 'balance' as conventional theory would have it, and this in turn has created a number of safety, environmental and other problems. The 'mixed function' road is attracting research attention in several countries, especially from the point of view of road safety, although few countries are still creating these problem roads in new development as a result of deliberate planning requirements, as Australia does. This paper comments on a planning alternative which has been proposed. A comparison with local planning practices elsewhere points to the concept of smaller land development units serviced by minimal frontage distributors. This proposal has been met by claims that it is 'academic' and 'naive', largely on cost grounds. There are conflicting views on whether or not there would be adverse effects on the economics of land development, and the discussion is complicated by the fact that increases in costs borne by the developer (and hence the initial purchaser, at a time when efforts are being directed towards containing the costs of development) are readily apparent, but the future benefits are not always so. The paper argues that minimal frontage distributors are not intrinsically more expensive; they are merely different, and require a different planning approach. Scepticism about the need to change from present practices is countered by reference to available literature and research, which clearly show that planners should not be happy with the status quo. However, several vital questions remain to be answered, suggesting that, while the problem can be readily identified, there remains some hesitation about solutions.
Publication Year: 1986
Publication Date: 1986-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
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