Access management can best be described as

• A. The process of adjusting traffic signal timing to optimize flow.
• B. The systematic control of the location spacing, design, and operation of driveways, median openings, interchanges, and street connections to a roadway.
• C. The policy of restricting vehicle access to urban streets only.
• D. The method of evaluating crashes using a standardized formula.

Answer: (B)

Access management focuses on controlling where and how people can enter and exit a roadway to reduce conflict points and keep traffic moving smoothly. It involves planning and regulating the location, spacing, design, and operation of driveways, median openings, interchanges, and street connections to a road. This broad, systematic approach is what sets access management apart: it’s about shaping the access points themselves to improve safety and capacity, not just adjusting signals, restricting access in a narrow way, or calculating crashes after they occur. For example, limiting driveways and adding well-designed median openings can reduce turning conflicts and follow-on crashes, while preserving the road’s capacity. The other options describe related but different activities: adjusting signal timing focuses on operations rather than access points; restricting access to urban streets only is too narrow a view; and evaluating crashes with a formula is about crash analysis, not access control.