2. Road access issues on Co. Rd. 22

areas with poor access management, strip development becomes a congestion nightmare while downtown arcas languish with little development or even deteriorate. Drivers begin to avoid getting into, maneuvering around, and getting out of areas that are frustrating, time consuming, and unsafe. In rural areas, especially areas that have housing developments with 2 to 10 acre lots, granting access to all houses abutting the roadway soon lowers the level of service and safety of the roadway due to the numerous turning movements. The lack of effective access management and the proliferation of accesses is a major factor leading to the deterioration of highway safety and efficiency. An example of what good access control can accomplish is the interstate system. The interstatc system is 40 plus years old and still has a good level of service despite the increase in traffic volumes. This is due to access control. If non-interstate rural roadways had even a portion of this type of access control, the problems oflow lcvel of service and safety would be much less. Responsible access management along with good design will result in a safe, etlicient, and cost effective road system. Cost etliciency is realized when roadway life is extended and does not need to be retrofitted or reconstructed due to good access control. Retrofitting roadways to acceptable standards of access control and design is extremely time consuming and costly and is usually accompanied by a concerned and sometimes angry public. To avoid having to retrofit corridors because of poorly managed access on highways, ell'ective access management must be consistent and take place before safety and level of service deteriorate. EfIective access management leads to the following: . Improved safety due to fewer and less scvere crashes and fewer pedestrian conflicts. . Reduced delay. . Increased and preserved capacity. . Good mobility. . Reduced fuel consumption. . Preservation of the investment in the road system. . Aesthetically pleasing and more attractive corridors. . Reduced access congestion problems for adjacent prope.rties. ACCESS MANAGEMENT Access management consists of controlling how, when and wherc vehicles can enter and exit the roadway. Effective access management allows roadways to function in a much more safe and efficient manner. Since effective access management also preserves integrity and capacity, construction dollars will not be needed to expand the roadway nor add unwarranted traffic signals. 2