Safe Access Is Good for Business

The purpose of this document is to assuage business owners' fears that a change in access (e.g., removal or relocation of a driveway(s), restriction in turning movements, etc.) as the result of an adjacent roadway improvement project is not "the" wholly determinant influence on the continuing success of that business. Construction aside, access changes are unlikely, on their own merits, to negatively impact a business. One of the goals of roadway corridor improvement projects is to clean up the sometimes cluttered distribution and alignments of sidestreet and driveway access points such that property access "order" is developed where chaos existed, and concurrently, throughput traffic delay is reduced and safety is improved. The entire corridor benefits such that customers will be enticed to use it. Improvements through access management practices can be "win-win" for both the properties, and the through traffic in a corridor. The success (or failure) of a business is dependent on a host of other, more prominent factors, including the business plan, the demand for the product, the quality of the product, local competition, price, customer service, well-trained, courteous employees, and other competitive factors. Absent something hugely impacting, like the total relocation of the adjacent street away from the business (i.e., a bypass) or construction of a view-limiting berm or noise walls, a change in access is a short-term (i.e., construction) impact at best, and upon completion, may indeed actually provide a boon to the business strip in terms of corridor enhancement. Loyal customers will learn the new access patterns. New customers may be enticed to shop now in the newly revamped corridor. They, along with future customers who on their own merits will seek out the product, will assume the new access patterns were "status quo" all along. This document is intended as a companion product of the FHWA video of the same name. Agencies are encouraged to show the short video at public meetings, and make copies of the document available as take-home products that reinforce the key message. CDs containing both the video and the document may be requested free of charge. Additionally, the video and the document may also be viewed and downloaded online at www.accessmanagement.gov or .info.