Reallocating roadspace from general traffic, to improve conditions for pedestrians or cyclists or buses or on-street light rail or other high-occupancy vehicles, is often pre- dicted to cause major traffic problems on neighbouring streets. This paper reports on two phases of research, resulting in the examination of over 70 case studies of roadspace reallocation from eleven countries, and the collation of opinions from over 200 transport professionals worldwide.
"The main question tackled here is: what really happens to traffic conditions when road capacity is reduced or reallocated? In pursuing the answer, interpretation of the evidence required consideration of a second question which had not featured so strongly in the original work-plan: what are the underlying changes in travel choice and behaviour that cause these effects?"
