In the Netherlands Centre for Research and Contract Standardization in Civil and Traffic Engineering (CROW) publication 116, the 'Guidebook for categorising roads on a 'sustainably safe' basis', the first functional demand for a 'sustainably safe' road network is called: 'Achieving as large as possible connecting residential areas'. However, it is not shown how large they are or can be. In this study, a theoretical study into the suitable size of residential areas is described. Ultimately, the following criteria were used for the choice of area size: journey length, traffic volumes, choice of route, car speeds, and accessibility. Attention is also paid to the relationship between the size of a residential area and the ease of crossing over the distributors. An attempt was made to test the results of the study by using practical experiences. It appeared that these experiences did not reach further than areas up to c.0.65 km2 for city centres and c.0.8 km2 for a residential area not yet completely built-up.
Abstract