Study on the Impact of Road Space Realignment on the Road Network and Its Evaluation

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a call for the reorganization of road space from a car-centered space to a bustling space where pedestrians can safely and comfortably circulate and stay as a measure to revitalize urban areas. On the other hand, realignment of roadway space changes the traffic flow in the entire road network, which may cause not only positive effects such as the creation of liveliness, but also negative effects such as traffic congestion and reduced traffic safety. Therefore, this study quantitatively evaluates the impact of road space realignment on the entire road network from the view of traffic smoothness and safety by using traffic simulation. The results of the analysis show that there is a trade-off between the positive effect of improving the pedestrian environment on roads and the negative effect of reducing the safety and smoothness of the entire road network from the viewpoint of automobile traffic.