Citation

Wells MJ, Joyner HR. Transp. Res. Rec. 1981; 812: 47-51.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Town of Chevy Chase Section Four, Maryland, is an affluent community of 3000 people lying between two major north-south radial travel corridors in suburban Washington, D.C. Several town streets have become convenient shortcut routes for commuters on their way to downtown Washington and for shoppers and employees in downtown Bethesda, located immediately west of the town. New economic development and the advent of regional rail rapid transit in downtown Bethesda is expected to exacerbate current through-traffic problems. This paper describes a proposed plan to alleviate the town's traffic problems. The focus of this paper is the issues that shaped the development of the plan and citizen reaction to it. These issues include whether or not a community has the right to deny access to nonresidents, the importance of public acceptance of any plan, the need for citizens to understand each other's problems and concerns, citizen reaction to physical barriers and other traffic-control devices, and the limited effectiveness and applicability of some control measures. The Chevy Chase Section Four experience is of interest to transportation engineers, local officials, and neighborhood groups considering the development of neighborhood traffic management plans in their communities.