Severance : highway A2 and ‘Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal’ a barrier to inhabitants of ‘Utrecht-Leidsche Rijn’? Severance is an impact of transportation as a result of (traffic on) the infrastructure that negatively influences the needs of the people who live in close proximity to visit locations on both sides of the barrier. So far, this social impact has only been measured by objective data (figures, maps). This article aims at developing a method to measure severance based on subjective data (obtained by using surveys). A conceptual model is constructed having three variables that predict severance, i.e. ‘Quality destinations on both sides of the infrastructure’, ‘Effort to cross the barrier’, ‘Need to cross the barrier’ as well as social-demographic characteristics. This model was tested by using surveys which were distributed among inhabitants of Langerak, part of ‘Leidsche Rijn’ (Utrecht). The research question for this case study is: to what extent do the inhabitants of Langerak experience the highway A2 and the ‘Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal’ to be a barrier to reach locations in the city of Utrecht? And, to what extent does social inequity play a role here? Firstly, in this case the analysis yields a reduced extent of severance. Secondly, two out of three relations (effort and need to cross the barrier) really do influence severance. Finally, no social inequity is established with respect to severance. To enhance and broaden the usability of this subjective method, the survey will have to be simplified and adjusted to different cases. Moreover, the results of the method ought to be standardized. (Author/publisher)
Abstract