Street and driveway location and design affects the ability of a driver to safely and easily enter and exit a site. For instance, many business owners along major arterials have two or more driveways. Redundant driveways increase points of conflict that make traffic patterns unpredictable, increase the risk of accidents, and contribute to traffic delays.

Elements such as medians, median openings, auxiliary lanes, driveway design, intersection channelization, frontage roads and grade separations are used to help manage access. Communities can include design standards for these elements in local subdivision and site plan regulations to ensure proper placement and design. These regulations can include specific access management and driveway design requirements, as well as regulations that govern the division of land into lots, blocks, and public ways to help ensure proper street layout for existing or planned roadways.

Examples of proper street and driveway design/placement are listed below:

> Decreasing the number of driveways and increasing their spacing can increase safety and traffic flow.

> Corner clearance standards, and restrictions on driveways in acceleration, deceleration and right turn lanes preserve good traffic operations at intersections and the safety and convenience of access to corner properties.

> Medians can control the location and reduce the number of left-hand turn points and eliminate congestion caused by stopped cars turning from the passing lane.

> Raised or grassy medians in the center of a road separate opposing lanes of traffic and restrict turning and crossing movements.

Medians also provide a refuge for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing a road, and can provide visual appeal and relief if they are landscaped. Some communities have “Adopt-A-Median” programs, where a small sponsorship sign is displayed to identify a business or group that paid to landscape and maintain a stretch of median.

Shared driveway requirements are becoming more common and is an effective technique in limiting the number of access points onto major roadways. Shared driveways have a tendency to reduce accidents associated with turning traffic and have a tendency of improving the efficiency of the main road.

Source: Innovative Land Use Planning Techniques: A Handbook for Sustainable Development