Is access management good for business? Business perceptions of the effects of traffic access management on accessibility and patronage

Access management is widely defined as the planning, design and implementation of land-use and transportation strategies that control the flow of traffic between roads and surrounding land. Previous studies focus mainly on the positive benefits of access management on safety and traffic flow. To ensure optimal transportation design, the design process must be based on a sound understanding of the issues perceived to be important by businesses, residences and other users. This study explores how businesses perceive the economic impacts of access management, along with safety and congestion impacts. About 280 businesses along six major commercial corridors in Western Washington State were surveyed. The analytical framework was developed using the simultaneous logit model, which allows the simultaneous modeling of perceptions of different performance metrics, through an endogenous relationship. The findings show that significant factors affecting business perceptions include business type and operational variables, corridor and street environment variables, as well as willingness-to-pay (WTP) measures.