A rural road network and its traffic flows has some harmful effects. Traffic unsafety, emissions and noise affect local people, flora and fauna. The introduction of catalysts diminished emissions. However, growing volumes increase the problems of traffic noise and habitat fragmentation for fauna. This also holds for minor rural roads. To find the right balance between maximizing accessibility and opening-up on one hand and minimizing traffic unsafety, noise and pollution as well as habitat fragmentation for fauna, the spatial concept Traffic Calmed Rural Areas (TCRA) is developed. This concept will result in a reorganisation of traffic flows: (a) diffuse volumes at the minor rural roads will be concentrated at a few trunk roads; and (b) traffic volumes and speeds within the region will decrease. The paper deals with the impacts of a reorganisation on accessibility, unsafety, noise and habitat fragmentation within a region. (A)
Abstract