Resident, Commuter, and Business Perceptions of New Superstreets
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 7
Abstract
Superstreets are an unconventional at-grade intersection design that have significant potential to help with safety and delay. The purpose of this paper is to formally evaluate residential, commuter, and business owner opinions of superstreets across North Carolina through feedback from three separate surveys. Findings from each of the surveys provide interesting feedback. Residents living near superstreets agree the design helps them travel more safely through the intersection. Commuting drivers perceive superstreets to be more difficult to navigate, but feel strongly about savings in travel time and reductions in numbers of stopped vehicles. Business reactions varied greatly depending on the ability to make direct left turns from the arterial. In general, more business managers feel superstreets negatively impact business growth and operations. Based on the opinions of adjacent business owners/managers, access and confusion were identified as key problems in retaining the number of regular customers and attracting new customers near superstreets. Agencies contemplating superstreet projects should be aware of these perceptions and try to mitigate the negative ones if possible.
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Acknowledgments
The study on which this paper is based was funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and many members of the department also provided assistance during the study. The authors are grateful to the department and these individuals for their support.
The views and opinions in the paper are those of the authors alone. The authors are completely responsible for any errors or omissions.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 7 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 19, 2010
Accepted: Sep 23, 2014
Published online: Mar 6, 2015
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
Discussion open until: Aug 6, 2015
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