Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
<br />12. Driveway Width <br />Along older urban arterial streets, it is common to find many narrow driveways. Older <br />commercial driveway and parking lot designs tended to use ten to fifteen foot wide <br />driveways. This type of design will safely accommodate only one vehicle at a time, <br />either an entering or an exiting vehicle. Another common problem is driveways in <br />urban and rural areas that are too wide. In some cases, the driveway may have no <br />discernible boundaries or curbs. Both situations create operational and safety <br />concerns. A properly designed driveway helps turni ng traffic move off the roadway <br />more quickly and reduces the likelihood of crashes. <br /> <br />13. Clearing Driveways Away From Corners <br />Clearing driveways away from corners is the simplest, yet perhaps the most critical <br />access management treatment. <br /> <br />What is corner clearance? <br />Corner clearance is the minimum distance required between an intersection and an <br />adjacent driveway along an arterial road or collector street. <br /> <br />14. Shared/Joint Driveways And/Or Cross Access <br />Driveway spacing and driveway density are important considerations in managing <br />access. When driveways are spaced too closely together or the number of driveways <br />per block or mile becomes too large, a significant increase in traffic accident rates <br />occurs. Traffic also tends to become congested more quickly in such situations. <br /> <br />What is driveway sharing? <br />A shared driveway is when two or more adjacent properties use the same driveway for <br />ingress and/or egress. Shared driveways are very common in newer commercial <br />areas, for instance at strip malls, regional shopping centers, and office parks. Sharing <br />driveways is simply good design practice since conf lict points caused by motorists <br />entering and leaving the businesses are reduced. This will, in turn, tend to reduce <br />traffic accidents associated with turning traffic and improve the traffic flow on the main <br />road. <br /> <br />What are joint and cross access? <br />Joint and cross access are formal, legal methods of ensuring that adjacent properties <br />can share driveways. In the case of joint access, two adjacent property owners share <br />a driveway along their common property line. In the case of cross access, one <br />property owner has the legal right to access and use a driveway that is on the adjacent <br />property owner’s land. <br /> <br />Joint and cross access can be built into private real estate titles through easements. <br />They can also be encouraged or required in local planning or design standards or in <br />municipal and county ordinances. <br /> <br /> 54