Agenda - 02-16-1988 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

• Long range road planning allows for identification of social and environmental concerns long before construction. The development of a thoroughfare plan helps to define neighborhoods by protecting them from "cut through" traffic on minor streets caused by drivers seeking to avoid congestion on major arterials. By increasing the traffic-moving efficiency of these arterials, traffic can be "siphoned" from inappropriate neighborhood streets. If properly implemented, this can have a very positive impact on reinforcing neighborhoods' integrity --- a well-acknowledged top priority in every community. What a thoroughfare plan is: A thoroughfare plan is an advance planning document delineating the type and general location of needed road facilities. ft is a plan for a system of intercon- nected roadways designed to serve in a proper functional hierchy, not unlike that of a tree, whose trunk divides into successively smaller branches. Designation of a road as a major thoroughfare involves an assessment of its importance to the area's road system. This assessment takes into consideration a road's length, continuity, and proximity to other roads serving similar trip movements. Existing and projected traffic volumes are only two of several considerations involved. All major thoroughfares are not highways; however, their capability to move traffic efficiently is deemed important to the overall system. The Thoroughfare Plan's calculated interrelationship is delicate. Any change to parts of the system may disrupt the entire system through a ripple effect as trips redistribute to other roads. To be effective, the Thoroughfare Plan must contain a proper balance of different types of major and minor thoroughfares. By serving as a guide for the orderly and systematic development of an ultimate street and highway network, the Thoroughfare Plan can be one of the best means of shaping the area's urban framework in the desired manner. What a thoroughfare plan is not: A thoroughfare plan is. not an accumulation of detailed designs accurate enough for the buying and reserving of rights-of-way. The thoroughfare plan is, however, a guide used for preparing functional designs which can be used for delineating future rights-of-way. A common misconception is that construction of thorough- fares is imminent. Proposed thoroughfares will not be built immediately, but normally over 20-25 years and will never be built if not needed. The thoroughfare - plan is not used As the basis for a land use plan but rather is based on a land • use plan. Lastly, a thoroughfare plan does not assume drastic changes in travel habits, but rather assumes a continuation of current patterns (e.g., modal split. frequency, vehicle occupancy ratio, purpose, and gas availability). 1.3