Which measure is recommended to reduce cut-through traffic near a grocery store on an arterial?

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Multiple Choice

Which measure is recommended to reduce cut-through traffic near a grocery store on an arterial?

Introducing a non-linear driving path along the arterial slows and disrupts through trips, making the street less attractive as a shortcut. That’s exactly what a chicane does: by creating offset curves with curb extensions or small parking islands, it forces drivers to slow and steer through a serpentine route. This reduces the appeal of using the arterial as a quick cut-through and helps keep shoppers accessing the grocery store via the intended routes, while preserving overall corridor capacity for local traffic. Other measures either burden access to the store or slow traffic in broader, less targeted ways. A roundabout slows speeds and can improve safety, but it can complicate turning movements and access to the grocery lot. Speed humps are effective for residential streets and very local areas, and can impede deliveries and emergency response on a busy arterial. Diagonal parking changes the street’s character mainly to add parking and can introduce conflicts with turning and loading, without reliably deterring cut-through. The chicane specifically targets the problem of through-traffic on an arterial serving a commercial node.

Introducing a non-linear driving path along the arterial slows and disrupts through trips, making the street less attractive as a shortcut. That’s exactly what a chicane does: by creating offset curves with curb extensions or small parking islands, it forces drivers to slow and steer through a serpentine route. This reduces the appeal of using the arterial as a quick cut-through and helps keep shoppers accessing the grocery store via the intended routes, while preserving overall corridor capacity for local traffic.

Other measures either burden access to the store or slow traffic in broader, less targeted ways. A roundabout slows speeds and can improve safety, but it can complicate turning movements and access to the grocery lot. Speed humps are effective for residential streets and very local areas, and can impede deliveries and emergency response on a busy arterial. Diagonal parking changes the street’s character mainly to add parking and can introduce conflicts with turning and loading, without reliably deterring cut-through. The chicane specifically targets the problem of through-traffic on an arterial serving a commercial node.

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