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Chapter 2 - The Process of Road Planning
Chapter 2 - The Process of Road Planning
2.
You cant just answer the question. The evaluation highly depends on the
environment of the establishment. The environments and functions of these
two establishments are very different. They can both be good and bad. But can
we give an exact answer here when we evaluate two configurations at the same
place?
Please look at the below pictures taken about Rkczi street in Budapest!
Which one do You think is right and which one is wrong? Why?
Honestly You cant just answer this question either. The judgement of the
configuration depends not only on the environment but also on the system of
correlations.
When planning an establishment the designer has to find the balance between
several aspects, effects and interests. All plans are individual, and every time
it is a different combination of geographic features, social interests, tasks,
opportunities and demands. The task is to find the balance between fulfilling
the demanded development and safely integrating the new establishment into
the human environment. Aspects to be considered when planning a road:
safety
durability
low operating cost
man-made and natural environment
environmental, esthetical, historical and social effects
availability of alternative transport options
It is important to know the difference between good and bad plans.
Good plans:
satisfy the safety and mobility demands
preserve and protect the environmental and cultural objects surrounding the
traffic establishment
Bad plans:
are not aligned with their environment
affect important natural and human resources
Figure 1. : Example for a road in harmony with its environment, made of local material
The goals are often abstract so the success rate is difficult to measure.
Indicators help to measure and track the goals and subgoals. Indicators are
measurable features, they transform the complex information into one single
figure. Every specified goal is to be paired with an indicator which expresses
the implementation
There are three main types of indicators:
Outputindicators: they measure the output, the result on a nominal scale
(kn, ton, quantity)
Resultindicators: they measure the projects direct effects, the
achievements of the expected goals. Preferably previous stage current
stage indicators, expressing the changes aspired by the project.
Effect indicators: they measure the projects longterm effects and their
contribution to the social goals.
INDICATOR
TYPE
OUTPUT
INDICATOR
RESULT
INDICATOR
EFFECT
INDICATOR
APPLIED
INDICATOR
DEFINITION
MEASUREMENT
Time saving
Employment
passenger
minute, ton
minute
Absolute or
Jobs created or saved by the relative number
of jobs
project
It is a common problem that You can not achieve all goals because they
conflict each other. For instance in many cases You can not improve the
accessibility without harming the environment. The solution is a compromise
between the different demands by setting priorities in order of importance. The
priorities are set based on political aspects but the decision maker is supposed
to consider the related opinionsii.
Once the goals are set, the next step is the problem mapping. This is an
important step as the real solutions are best based on solving the problems. It
is key to find the problems rootcauses because eliminating them is the only
way not to encounter the problem againiii.
We consider the folling cases as problems:
unsatisfied demands and missing preconditions to satisfy the demands
the difference between the actual and the desired situation
unexploited opportunities
losses
The problems and demands can be defined based bot hon the actual or the
desired situation. When defining the problem we also have to see who suffers
the most from the problem. There are more ways to discover them:
consulting the related personneliv
analysis based on factsv
observationvi
The identified problems are visualized on a specially designed problem list
called problem map. This problem map also expresses the priorities in a table
format. An alternative visualization method is to show the problems in a matrix
of problem areas and aspects. The latter has the advantage of discovering the
synergies between the problems.
Nr.
What?
Who?
With whom?
When?
At what cost?
Problem
Who is
responsible for
the solution?
Who else is
interested in the
solution?
In what
timeframe is the
solution
available?
What is to be
considered?
1.
2.
Figure 4. : Possible structure of a problem map
A Problem area
B Problem area
(par.ex. control)
(par.ex. infrastructure)
Figure 17. : Problem map structure in a matrix of problem areas and aspects
The goals and the problems are two sides of the same coin starting with either
of them we will come to the same outcome. The goals define the results
expected from solving the problems, this often makes them abstract. A strategy
based on a precisely defined problem list is easier to understand and the
question How do we no there is a problem? is easier to answer.vii
PROBLEM
GOAL
Can I sleep?
Reduced noise
disturbance
Figure 5. : Relation between goals and problems.
cross-section profiles
relation between sketching and landscape
objects of art
road elements
The design scale is an important factor of the basic principle. Drivers sense
their environment not like pedestrians, so the design scale affects the roads
function and integration with special influence. The road width You sense has
the greatest impact on the road scale, the wider You sense the road the faster
the vehicles move. The planning methods below can reduce the sensed width
of the road just as the sensed scale:
horizontal and height sketching,
cross-section profile elements,
other elements, plants, buildings, parking or noise-absorbing walls
By chosing the proper planning methods You can create the road in harmony
with its environment. All details must be considered (aesthetic appearance,
compatibility with social values) as a key part of the planning process with the
need for a design team covering all planning aspects.
A successful road planning process contains the following elements:
continuous social participation from the beginning
using scenic plans to inform the society
design team covering all planning aspects and areas
flexible and creative planning solutions
The planned road establishment is always individual as the area, the expected
features, the social values, the tasks and the limitations always vary. There are
no typical plans and the planner must find the balance between the different
aspects again and again, independently from the size of the task.
We can judge the plans quality and niveau by knowing the exact goals. The
indicators measure how much the goals are achieved so during the evaluation
we check whether the indicators target values are met or not. If they are then
the plan is a proper one.xi Unfortunately we do not always find a solution free
of compromises. In these cases we have to compensate the negative effects, in
other words we have to compensate the damage.xii
Of course You dont have to limit the plan to one version only. When working
out the different versions it is important that they are supposed to be different
not just inthe parametersxiii but also in the general approach. They should
introduce the whole scale of solutions, par.ex.:
hard building interventions and soft traffic control measures
system-level solutions (both local and network)
positive solutions providing a supply and negative solutions with forbiding
effects.
In case of longterm plans the certain versions might differ in both the methods
and the future visions.
Making the final decision which version to chose assumes the knowledge of
their affects and consequences. The solution we are looking for
- satisfies the safety and mobility demands best
- preserves the surrounding natural and cultural values best.
For such a comparison the fundamental basis consists of the goals and the
related indicators.
During the evaluation we define the degree of the effects belonging to the
indicators. By transforming these values to an unified scale we gain the score
However the decision makers judge the importance of the effect groups
differently. The weighting of the effect groups is in fact a political issue but
we have to influence it somehow. If we did not then the cheapest plan version
would usually win although we know it is not always the best one.
How can we handle this? Besides the weighting based on the specialists
opinion we have to use other weightings as well. We pick an effect group,
increase its weight and reduce the weight of the other effect groups with the
same degree. We calculate the scores again and set the new priority of plan
versions. We repeat the procedure with each effect group.
What is this good for? In this case we offer the decision maker a ready-made
solution independently from his preference of aspects. If he is mostly
interested in the costs, we show the priority for which we gave the cost effect
group the highest weight. This way we ensure that the decision makers
preferred aspect is highlighted while the other aspects are included in the
judgement.
Social participation can significantly increase the projects success and social
acceptance.
Social participation can help:
define the goals
judge problems
find the solution alternatives
evaluate the different versions
chose the desired strategy
Social participation is however limited: it must be carefully examined who and
how deep to be involved in the planning process.
Before involving the participants we have to clearly define the decision range.
Consulting does not always work, some decisions must be made without
mutual agreement. It is not efficient to involve the society in topics which are
not negotiable or no longer modifiable.
CONCEPT
Strategic planning
Feasibility study
Detailled planning
Construction
Strategic planning has the goal of defining the development demands. During
strategic planning we examine the development directions, the priorities and
the optimal allocation of the available resources. The strategies are being
created, discussed, finalized and approved. Key objectives of the strategic
planning are to satisfy the mobility demands and have the plan accepted from
environmental and social view. Analysis of the system and the environment
and the interaction between them is also one of the tasks.
One of the planning methods is an extensive procedure, trying to answer three
simple questions:
- Where are we now?
Status analysis, identification of problems
- What is our future goal, where do we want to get?
Future vision, goal setting
- How do we get there?
Action plan, activites
One key task of the strategic planning is to involve the community and define
the concept of the planning process. The decisions taken during strategic
planning will influence and limit the planning abilities of the further steps.
Feasibility studyhas the goal of setting the fundamentals of the development
projects. In this phase we fine tune the demands and goals. We compose
different versions in order to gain solutions for the planning task from several
approaches. One version is the zero version with no change and another one
is the soft version without any construction limiting the actions to traffic
Preparatory examinations have many versions. They are not always individual
and sometimes we skip making them.
The Feasibility studyxxiiis a basic document providing the decision makers
with an objective view on
the problem which needs a solution
the range of possible solutions
the extent of the project implementing the recommended solution
the expected qualities of the soon-to-be built establishment/service
the rounded amount of the financial resources needed for the project
project risks
The approval plans task is to present the applied technical solutions without
going into the technological details. The approval plan is the basis for licences.
When creating one You have to complete many consultations with service
providers, road maintainers and the related concerns.
The construction planis created after all licences are available.xxiii It contains
the modifications required in the construction licence, the detail plans, the
ground data and plans regarding conrtruction arrangements.xxiv If the
subcontractors are available/chosen by the time of making the construction
plan then modifications are possible upon their suggestions and observations.
The bid planpresents the information needed by the potential subcontractors
in order to submit proper price offers. The subcontractors competing for the
construction assignment have to submit their offer with respect to the given
quantities and quality requirements specified in the bid plan. This means the
entrepreneurs provide a detailed price offer for the exact task described in the
bid plan. Compared to the construction plan, the bid plans content is extended
with quantified calculations and quality requirements.
After the subcontractor is chosen, there might be slight changes due to his
suggestions.
The realization planis one of the plans needed to open the road to traffic. It is
the basic document of the opening procedure, it records the achieved status
and it contains the deviations from the construction plan. It is important for the
operation/maintenance activity.
Exercises
Exercise 1.
What are the elements of the planning process? What is the reason for this
structure?
Exercise 2.
What is the task of strategic planning?
Exercise 3.
What is the goal of the feasibility study?
Exercise 4.
What are our tasks during detailed planning?
Exercise 5.
What are the major plan types in Hungarian practice? How are they logically
related and how do they fit into the planning phases?
Functional planning
The main challenge for the design engineer is to foresee how the new
establishment under design) will function inthe future, how efficiently it will
be utilized by the people. Functional planning is a logical planning describing
how the system operates and focusing on the demands and requirements of the
future users.
This lesson presents the basics of functional planning and the main functions
of road establishments. It discusses the role of functional classification and its
Hungarian practice.
Main roads
Collective roads
Side roads
Figure 24. : Correlation between mobility and service level functions.
Functional classification means sorting the roads into groups based ont he
service they provide for the users. This is important as traffic is not handled by
the single roads individually buti t is handled by a network, a system of roads.
By functional planning the role of the roads can be planned on network level
and this can be the basis for a conception which oversees the planning process.
Based on the service and mobility functions roads are classified into three
major clusters. Main roads provide high level of mobility but at the cost of
limited service functions.xxviLocal roads have a main function of serving the
estate items, including many slow traffic operations. Along local roads
mobility function is limited as strict speed limits are necessary. xxvii Collective
roads bridge the gap between main roads and local roads, providing the
balance between the mobility and service level functions.xxviii
Defining the roads function is the very first step of the planning process. by
this definition we plan the future operation of the establishment. Based on the
function we can pick the right planning speed and geometric parameters.
Side roads
Freeway
Highway
I. class main road
II. class main road
Connection road
Service road
Station-oriented road
Other road
Cycle-path
Footpath
Figure 12. : Outskirts road planning departments.
Code of
planning
department
K.I.
K.II.
K.III.
K.IV.
K.V.
K.VI.
K.VII.
K.VIII.
K.IX.
K.X.
Roads in downtown
High-speed roads
Main roads
Side roads
Freeway
Highway
I. class main road
II. class main road
Collective road
Service road
Cycle-path
Footpath
Code of
planning
department
B.I.
B.II.
B.III.
B.IV.
B.V.
B.VI.
B.IX.
B.X.
Exercises
Exercise 1.
Please explain the basic principle of functional planning! Why is it important
to design road establishments on functional basis?
Exercise 2.
Please show the two main functions of road establishments! How can we
calssify the roads by thess two functions?
Exercise 3.
Why do road functions change? How can we avoid that the roads functional
configuration differs from its function?
Exercise 4.
Please, present the roles of the road planning departments in Hungarian
practice!
Control questions
Q2.1. What make as a plan a good plan?
Q2.2. What makes a plan a bad plan?
Q2.3. What are the conditions of creating harmonized proper plans?
Q2.4. What makes an establishment optimal?
Q2.5. What is the role of the goals in the planning process?
Q2.6. How do we properly define the goals?
Q2.7. Why is it important to make clear and obvious goal definitions?
Q2.8. What is the role of the problems?
Q2.9. What are the ways of discovering the problems?
Q2.10. Why do we have to involve the community inthe planning process?
Q2.11. What is the helping potential in involving the community?
Q2.12. What is the task of the road planning process?
Q2.13. How do we ensure flexibility within the road planning process?
Q2.14. What is to be secured during the planning process?
Q2.15. What is the role of functional planning?
Q2.16. What parameters are defined by functional planning?
Q2.17. Why do we have to periodically check the roads functional
classification?
Q2.18. What is the correlation between the change of territory usage and the
roads functions?
Q2.19. Please introduce the roles of the planning departments!
Q2.20. What secures the flexibility within the planning departments?
Answers
A2.1.
It fulfils the safety and mobility demands while preserving and
protecting the related environmental and cultural values.
A2.2.
The road is not in harmony with its environment and affects
important natural and human resources.
A2.3.
Using flexible design solutions and involving the community int he
planning process from the beginning.
A2.4.
A plan is optimal if it realizes the goals defined regarding the
establishment and it solves the occuring problems.
A2.5.
They summarize the social, natural and traffic demands that are to be
realized.
A2.6.
They must be clear, obvious and measurable.
A2.7.
Clearly defined goals help to identify the problems calling for
solutions and they provide the fundamentals to evaluate the versions and
furthermore they enable the supervision of the execution process.
A2.8.
They provide the basis to define possible solutions.
A2.9.
On site observation, realistic analysis and consultation with the
related personnel.
A2.10. By involving the community the projects success and social
acceptance can be increased dramatically.
A2.11. It can help in defining the goals, weighting the problems, finding the
possible alternatives and evaluating the proposed versions.
A2.12. Safe integration of the demand for road developments and the
surrounding natural and human environment.
A2.13. Geometric parameters have a certain tolerance with min/max values
in the standards. In case of serious environmental effects it is possible to ask
for exemption. Upon need previous decisions can also be revised if the effects
are significant.
A2.14. The road must be in harmony with its environment. To ensure that,
creation of the detailed plans must be preceded by executing the preparatory
jobs and chosing the proposed solution.
A2.15. Planning the establishments usage and function
A2.16. Planning speed and cross-sectional configuration
A2.17. Because changes in the traffic pattern might result in changes of the
road functions.
A2.18.
A2.19.
A2.20.
The word environment is used with a broader meaning here. It covers all connections, correlations referring to
the establishment, its users and every party affected by the establishment and its usage.
ii
iii
If we solve the problem symptoms and not the root causes then we let he problem bigger to a higher escalation
level. Par. ex. if many pedestrians cross the road against the rules, we can create a barrier for them. By this
solution we stop the pedestrians from crossing the road but the problem of the missing leagl crossing point
remains unsolved.
iv
Consultation with local inhabitants, civil and state organizations, operators, authorities
vi
Experience collected by ourselves. For an engineer it is essentially important to visit the site personly. That is
the only way to know more about the local inhabitants, their habits, demands and experience the problems first
hand. Site inspections have the goal of planting ourselves into the correlation system of the establishment and
get a direct feeling of the site. This way we find the right solutions easier.
vii
Par.ex. instead of saying noise pollution reduces it is more effective to say Your sleep will be untroubled at
night.
viii
This goes for arc radius or slope gradient among other parameters.
ix
Par.ex. by reducing the planning speed we can achieve a sketching which fits into the environment better. Of
course there is nothing for free : in this case the traffic completion will be less ideal.
x
xi
This is not so simple in real life. You can not turn every goal into a measurable one. One example is the aesthetic
effect. In this case for example we can use a ideal neutral problematic scale and the classification will be
more or less subjective.
xii
A fitting example here is the plantation of replacement forests. We have to plant new trees in a quantity equal
to the summed tree-trunk diameter of the trees we had to cut as a sacrifice for the new road establishment. The
damage is a fact, the environment is locally damaged but we have made the compensation in another forest so
globally we have compensated nature as much as we could.
xiii
xiv
We connect the possible values through a linear or nonlinear transformation to the values of a multidegree
scale. We usually use 3-, 5- or 10-degree scale but other values are possible. Example: if we connect the number
of fatal accidents to the values improving, stagnating or worsening then we have made a transformation
to a 3-degree scale.
xv
2.
: the transformation does not differentiate the versions. The scale is too wide compared to the
possible values. Par.ex. the value improving does not differentiate minimal and significant
improvement.
: the transformation makes too much difference. Par. ex. we can compare service levels. There
might be very different traffic features and scores belonging to service level A or B, however from
the aspect of comparing different versions they are practicly equal.
xvi
Douglas Adams must have had very unpleasant experience regarding road constructions and social
participation. His bestseller Galactic travel guide for hitch-hikers starts with a galactic freeway construction. As
part of the project Earth is supposed to be destroyed. The planners were careful, the plan was available int he
Alpha Centauri system. Noone protested so the designers were right to think that the project would have no
environmental effects. The fact that space travel is not available for Earths inhabitants seems a private problem.
The sad thing is that it happens so in many cases so the example is not that extreme. If the number of the affected
people is limited then it is enough to publish the information on the wall newspaper or website of the related
bureau. How lately have we checked the website of the City Hall if there is a project affecting us ?
xvii
An example can be the foundation of the Budapest Traffic Association. The traffic service providers should join
forces and cooperate in order to offer the passengers a better combination of improved services.
xviii
xix
Preparation work does not obviously end when the construction begins. Par.ex. the handover of the total area
can be very slow so there is no point in waiting for the total area to be available, the work must start wherever
possible.
xx
Unfortunately we have seen examples showing that the approval plan was finished sooner than the feasibility
study. It is a remarkable goal of the chapter to emphasize the right time order and logical order.
xxi
Example can be the Nagy Lajos Kirly avenue where the regulation range is defined according to the 2X2 lane
road planned to be realized later.
xxii
The content of the feasibility study always depends on the exact task. The Specifications of Road Affairs defines
it as Technical study plan but in many cases it is called feasibility study. The feasibility study belongs to the
preparatory plans but its content can easily overlap with that of the technical study plan. The more general term
feasibility study fits the logical train of thought better so we use it here.
xxiii
In case of smaller establishments it is possible to create consolidated approval plans and construction plans.
xxiv
xxv
Of course in an urban environment this is far more complicated. Functions connected to pedestrian, cyclist
and public transport also appear.
xxvi
Extreme examples are the freeways: You can drive fast and undisturbed, on the other hand every disturbing
element is reduced to the minimum. Service function is completely missing, junctions are far from each other
and traffic is regulated at the highest level.
xxvii
xxviii
Example for collective roads is a section of the Budafoki avenue between Szent Gellrt Square and the Rkczi
Bridge.
xxix
As an example, at the crossing sections of the main roads, besides the mobility function the service function
also has significance. No wonder that these road types are bearing many conflicts. The solution is the
harmonization of the functions. With todays approach it means that the mobility function is to be reduced and
urban functions are to get more attention. Of course this will not help the transit traffic.
xxx
If we install a shopping mall next to a main traffic route then serving the shopping mall might pose problems
for the traffic route. The shopping mall along the main road 11. is an excellent example. In order to serve the
shopping mall, a roundabout was built ont he two-lane road 11. But this roundabout proved to be a bottleneck
and slowed traffic down. Finally the problem was solved by an overcrossing built above the roundabout.
xxxi
xxxii
Reconstruction of the crossing sections is a typical change arising from functional classification changes.