Conventional traffic management

Conventional Traffic Management involves measures designed to affect the movement of traffic on a network. Measures include route restrictions and right of way restrictions which serve to alter the direction and movement of traffic as well as parking (and stopping restrictions) which allow for unhindered traffic movement on roads. These are all  implemented with the objective of smoothing traffic flow and increasing safety and do so by making better use of the existing infrastructure.  More specific forms of traffic management designed to improve the environment, enhance safety or reduce travel demand are considered separately.

Conventional traffic management measures can lead to smoother driving conditions, reduced congestion and fewer accidents), and may also achieve environmental improvements, but they may also result in some adverse impacts by reallocating road space or re-routeing traffic. In particular, higher traffic volumes may be introduced to certain streets, and local access may be reduced in order to benefit through movement. Hence the contribution to policy objectives may not always be positive. As a result, in designing a traffic management plan, it is important to understand the conflicting demands between various groups of users who are intending to share the road space.

Because conventional traffic management measures have been in place for some time, there is a lack of recent case study evidence on their performance.