Community severance is a concept that has existed for years in many countries' transport appraisal systems but who can claim to know what it means? Most severance assessment frameworks assess only part of the picture. A typical definition is that given in the UK Design Manual for Roads and Bridges: “The separation of residents from facilities and services they use within their community caused by new or improved roads or by changes in traffic flows”. However, research has indicated that severance means many things to many people. For example, research carried out in the early 1990s by TRL found that communities see severance as a mixture of: Pedestrian delay; Trip diversion/suppression; Pollution; Danger; and Overall unpleasantness. This paper draws on a research project that TRL are currently undertaking for the Department for Transport in the UK and: 1.Outlines practitioners' and communities' perception of severance; and 2.Assesses how a broader picture of severance could be carried forward to practical and effective severance assessment methods. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E211783.
Samenvatting