Road hierarchy: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:04, 2 May 2025

Latest revision as of 23:32, 1 June 2025

(2 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)

Line 20:

==== Controlled-access highway ====

At the top of the mobility-access continuum in terms of traffic flow and speed are [[Expresswaycontrolled-access (road) (disambiguation)|Expresswayshighway]];s. theirTheir defining characteristic is the ''control of access'' to and from the road, meaning that the road cannot be directly accessed from properties or other roads, but only from specific connector roads. This indirection, in conjunction with high speed limits and multiple lanes, allows these roads to support fast traffic flow with high volume, in both urban and rural areas. They are at the bottom of the mobility-access continuum in terms of access to property, allowing access to almost nothing besides other roads and [[rest areas]].

They are also known as ''freeways'' in the U.S., South Africa, and parts of Australia; as ''motorways'' in the U.K., New Zealand, and parts of Australia; and as ''expressways'' in numerous countries (though this term sometimes includes [[limited-access road]]s depending on the region).

Line 38:

==== Limited-access road ====

[[File:Route nationale 137 à La Rochelle · Périgny (17, France).JPG|thumb|Dual carriageway near [[La Rochelle]], France]]

A [[limited-access road]], also known as ''limited-access highway'' in the U.S. and as ''expressway'' in numerous countries (including parts of the U.S.), is similar to a controlled-access highway in that it conforms to many or most of the standards that controlled-access highways follow, but does allow some uncontrolled access to local roads. They can be viewed as a middle ground between controlled-access highways and minor arterial roads. The degree of isolation from local traffic varies between countries and regions, as does a precise definition of the term itself.

Controlled-access highways can also be viewed as a subset of limited-access highways that has stricter requirements.

Line 72:

Many countries may have more than one national highway system of a lower rank, such as the [[U.S. Highways]] (not to be confused with the Interstate system), only portions of which run on controlled-access highways. Conversely, there may also be controlled-access highways not part of a numbered system. Highways are usually given icons featuring the number of the highway called [[Highway shield|highway shields or route markers]]. In addition to the national highway system, there may be provincial-level or state-level (US) highway systems of a lower rank, which need not consist mainly of controlled-access highways.

== United States and Canada ==

[[File:Us-vmt-by-functional-system.png|thumb|440px|[[Vehicle miles of travel]] by highway functional system in the US]]

Line 442:

==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011111044214/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/flex/ch03.htm FHWA - Functional Classification]{{Obsolete source |reason=There are two more recent editions with significant changes.|date=April 2025}}

* {{cite report |author=European Road Safety Observatory |date=2018 |chapter=Road classification |title=Roads |url=https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-07/ersosynthesis2018-roads.pdf |edition=2018 |publisher=European Commission |pages=5-65–6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625043417/https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-07/ersosynthesis2018-roads.pdf |archive-date=25 June 2022}}

* {{cite book |date=2006 |chapter=From theory to vision: Functional road categorization |___location=Leidschendam |editor-last1=Wegman |editor-first1=Fred |editor-last2=Aarts |editor-first2=Letty |title=Advancing Sustainable Safety: National Road Safety Outlook for 2005-2020 |translator-last1=Bastiaans |translator-first1=René |translator-last2=Breen |translator-first2=Jeanne |edition= |publication-place= |publisher=SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research |pages=37-3837–38 |isbn=978-90-807958-7-7}}

{{Road types}}