The conversion of the M-30: intercity urban belt distributor
- Highways Magazine No. 141 - July / August 2005
Andrés Monzón de Cáceres
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering-Transport
Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM)
Ana Maria Pardeiro pertega
Researcher TRANSyT
Transportation Research Center
Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM)
ABSTRACT
First, it analyzes the process of metropolization of Western cities, driven by reduced transport costs and relocation of activities. In this process traditional urban centers specialize in related to culture and leisure activities, which demand greater urban and environmental quality. While they are creating modern developments in the city limits, called "edge cities", which exert new centralities to the cities of the metropolitan belt. Road planning in this context requires suitable social, cultural and territorial context in which they are made flexible solutions. This approach assumes that, with the objectives of geometrical design and capacity to meet the demands of mobility and road safety, consider environmental constraints, cultural heritage and social relations, which must not be compromised.
Later these concepts are applied to the analysis of the territorial dynamics and mobility in the metropolitan area of Madrid, which is undergoing a process of regional suburbanisation where the outskirts of the municipality of Madrid acts as a connecting zone with the exterior developments. In this context the effects on the environment and the relevance of possible alternatives to the M-30 Madrid are evaluated: keep the design fast track or transformation into an avenue. The results indicate that the metropolitan functionality fast track design reduces pressure on the center of the car, and structure the union of the municipality of Madrid with its metropolitan crown.
KEYWORDS
Urban road, Urban transport, Boulevard, M-30, Transportation Survey.