Chapter 21 Introduction, history, definition

Traffic management schemes are designed to make best use of the road network and reduce the number of personal injury accidents within limited budgets. They were originally seen as a “quick fix” until a major scheme could be built. Innovative designs and software developments have been so successful that they have resulted in new highway layouts and have improved the economic benefits of all highway assets.

In recent years traffic engineers have moved away from simple traffic capacity improvements to address environmental issues including: travel planning, public transport priority and re-balancing the use of the highway by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. New emphasis has been placed on the aesthetic enhancement of town centres, residential areas and, most recently, industrial developments. This chapter aims to provide an insight into basic and new traffic engineering techniques and stresses that schemes should be designed for how people behave.