22 - Safety Grant Project TxDOT Proposal for Lamar Avenue Crossovers

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Economic Effects of Access Mana ement Access Control & Non -Traversable Median' A safe and efficient transportation system is an important element of a vibrant economy. The quality of the transportation system affects the economy in a variety of ways: it determines how quickly goods get to market, whether an area is attractive to investors, and the size of the market area for a particular business. Individual business owners are sometimes concerned about the potential impact of access management requirements on business activity. Studies conducted of businesses within areas where access management has been implemented show that improved driveway spacing and design, alternative access, and installation of non -traversable medians have virtually no adverse impact on business activity. For example, a study of the economic impacts of left -turn restrictions in College Station, Houston, McKinney, Longview, Wichita Falls, Odessa, Port Arthur, and Amarillo was conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation in the mid 1990's. Key findings relative to access management include the following: Business owners reported no change in pass -by traffic after median installation. Most business types (including specialty retail, fast-food restaurants, and sit-down restaurants) reported increases in numbers of customers per day and gross sales. When asked what factors were important to attracting customers, business owners generally ranked "accessibility to store" lower than customer service, product quality, and product price, and ahead of store hours and distance to travel. A study of the effects of access management on business vitality was conducted in 1996. Before and after data were collected on a series of corridor case studies. Results indicated that: • Corridors with completed access management projects performed better in terms of retail sales than the surrounding communities. Business failure rates along access managed corridors were at or below the statewide average. • Close to 80 percent of businesses reported no customer complaints about access to their businesses after project completion. • Over 90 percent of motorists surveyed had a favorable opinion of improvements made to road -ways that involve access management. The vast majority of motorists thought that the improved roadways were safer and that traffic flow had improved. The results of these and other studies indicate that access management has little or no adverse impact on business activity. Before and after studies indicate that business owner perceptions of the potential for adverse impacts of access changes tend to be much worse than actual impacts. In addition, levels of business activity often correlate more closely with factors such as competition, the regional economy, quality of management, and other issues unrelated to property access.