PLANNING DECISIONS AND PUBLIC ATTITUDES ABOUT ROADWAY OPERATION

Information about public needs and perceptions can help the engineer to anticipate and deal with public and political reactions to roadway planning and operational decisions. A Texas frontage road study conducted in 1986 and 1987 offered such insight. The specific concern was conversion of two-way frontage roads to one-way operation and the public opposition generated by such changes. Interviews to determine the attitudes held by certain segments of the public about frontage road management were conducted with 121 individuals in 15 small- and medium-size cities that have freeway frontage roads. The attitude survey indicated that various segments of the public have differing outlooks on the management of the frontage road network. Safety considerations were appreciated more readily by more of the groups than were operational factors such as delay. Coordinated planning could have prevented problems from arising. In a broader setting the survey indicated that engineering values and concerns may not be shared by others who are affected by the decisions the engineer makes. Comments made during the survey will inform the engineer of concerns expressed by others. By anticipating these concerns, the engineer and planner can plan so that problems do not arise in the first place, design in ways to minimize public opposition, and deal with existing situations in ways that placate opposition. Although Texas freeway frontage road patterns may not be common in other parts of the country, the observations and conclusions from the interviews have a broad range of applications.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1237/1237-001.pdf
• Record URL:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1237, Congestion, Land Use, Growth Management, and Transportation Planning. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Gattis, J L
  • Stover, Vergil G
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1-9
• Monograph Title: Congestion, land use, growth management, and transportation planning
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1237
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Data collection; Decision making; Frontage roads; Highway operations; Highway planning; Highway safety; Interviewing; One way traffic; Public opinion; Surveys; Traffic delays
• Uncontrolled Terms: Conversion
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495018
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309050014
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM