Service Road
Service roads, or frontage roads, run parallel to a main road and allow local traffic to gain access to property. Where major roads are bordered by commercial or residential development, service roads are a safe way to allow vehicles to access these properties with little disruption to other traffic.
Also crashes can occur where a commercial development is fronted by parking spaces with uncontrolled access to the carriageway, and service roads can be used to bring traffic to a single and safe T-junction at the main road.
- Crash reductions (including parking and pedestrian crashes).
- Can reduce the number of conflict points (intersections) along a route.
- Can be used by local traffic and vulnerable road users as an alternative to the (often higher speeds and higher volume) main road.
- Safer loading/ unloading of commercial vehicles.
- Service roads require large amounts of space. Where space is limited, a service road may fit behind the properties.
- Parking and other potential visual obstructions should be carefully controlled where service lanes rejoin the main road.
- Traffic calming measures should be adopted on service roads serving frontal accesses and bus stops and those regularly used by non-motorised users.
The Star Rating Demonstrator is a freely available tool with the iRAP online software, ViDA. With the Star Rating Demonstrator, it is possible to explore the impact that this Safer Roads Treatment has on risk.
Treatment Summary
Costs | High |
Treatment life | 20 years + |
Potential casualty reduction | 25-40% |
