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9. Economic Impacts Of Access Management Business owners often are concerned that changes in access to their premises will have temporary or permanent impacts on their sales. They are concerned that changes in direct access to their property-such as consolidating driveways or installing raised medians will lead to declines in patronage and sales. Perceived impacts of access management on adjacent commercial businesses and landowners are often major impediments to projects moving forward. In the case of access management, perceptions are often worse than reality. Access management before development offers clarity and relieves the post- development difficulty in retrofitting. 10. Access Management And Pedestrian Safety Access management is usually promoted as a way to improve driving conditions for motorists. Clearly, access management techniques can lead to roads and streets that are dramatically safer and much easier and more pleasant to drive. However, research also indicates that several key access management techniques are just as valuable to pedestrians. These include: • reducing the number of driveways, particularly commercial driveways, within a given distance (per block or mile) • providing for greater distance separation between driveway • providing a safe refuge for pedestrian crossings with raised medians COMMON ACCESS MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS 11. Driveway Grade Along older urban arterial streets, it is common to find rather steep driveways with grades (or slopes) of 5-10 percent or more. Driveways with steep grades were often constructed to allow the driveway and connecting parking lots to drain more efficiently and to save earth-moving costs. On the other hand, more recently constructed arterials typically feature very gentle driveway grades. Driveway grade is an important – yet often overlooked – safety consideration. The maximum practical grade for driveways varies between 8-14 percent for low- volume driveways and five percent for high-volume driveways (a 30-foot long driveway with a 14 percent grade would rise or fall about four feet along its length). Furthermore, the maximum practical change in grade is about 12 percent. Above this value, many vehicles will scrape their bumpers or other low-hanging parts on the driveway, potentially causing damage to the vehicle and driveway or roadway surface. While this may be the maximum practical grade, it is much safer to use a smaller grade. A minimal grade (say, two percent) is still needed for drainage. 53