The term ‘provisions for target groups’ is aimed at: an infrastructural measure which will benefit one or more groups of road users (the ‘target groups’) in relation to other traffic. This manual is limited to the provisions pertaining to the particular target group when that target group is part of the motorised traffic. The construction of provisions for target groups must comply with certain conditions regarding the adequate flow of other traffic, road safety, the environment, highway code and procedures. Any reduction in existing capacity in favour of target groups is not to be recommended. If such is opted for, then good communication with road users is essential. A more recent development is to think in terms of target group networks. The potential advantages of such a network approach may include: (i) the possibility of target groups of road users being able to travel within a certain area in a rapid and reliable fashion; (ii) improvement of the attractiveness of the provision to potential users; (iii) where applicable, offering a viable alternative to the motor car; (iv) economies of scale in finance; and (v) reliability of the provision over the long term. The network approach does not exclusively consider only new provisions, but is primarily focused on linking existing provisions and attuning target groups (and their relevant provisions) to roads for various different road users.
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