Mobility and accessibility : how does an effective road hierarchy promote safety?

Abstract

How does one restore mobility to a corridor that has been compromised by substandard accesses and the lack of a supporting road network? The R573 (Moloto Road) is a case in point where it needs to fulfil multiple functions (i.e. Mobility, access etc.). Asking the right questions focused the thought process informing the design philosophy for the design of the upgrade of this road. The current imbalance of mobility and access has dire road safety and mobility implications. Upgrading designs for the R573 required a design philosophy that balanced mobility and accessibility. In the process the status quo was carefully considered to formulate a problem statement (the questions). Various challenges were identified for which solutions had to be found. These solutions had to satisfy various conditions of which road safety improvement were priority. The result was a design which is believed to improve mobility, maintain and improve accessibility and improve road safety all of which are related to the need for an effective road hierarchy.