A major movement corridor for travel within metropolitan areas at a lower speed than motorways.

Principal arterial roads usually have two vehicle lanes in each direction, often with space for a third reserved in a wide median. The typical road reserve is 35m-60m. Access to the corridor is restricted, with junctions generally spaced 1km or more apart. Junctions tend to be intersections rather than separated interchanges, but high traffic volumes and widths make these corridors suitable for pedestrian bridges and separated paths.

For new roads, there may be opportunities to reduce the road width, for example, by reallocating road user space to higher capacity modes, sharing space, using temporal reallocation of space or priority, or redistributing the network for some transport modes.

Car parking is not permitted.

Common issues

• wide corridors that sever connections between communities
• limited points to cross
• noise and air pollution for surrounding residents
• urban heat with lack of vegetation
• bus stops difficult to access.

Design solutions for enterprise principal arterials

Although principal arterials in enterprise areas are sized for large freight vehicles, safe crossings for people who are walking and cycling are provided at intersections or where topography permits crossings above or below the corridor as bridges or underpasses.

Pedestrian islands between the slip lanes and staged crossing legs are built out to maximise the waiting area for people walking across the road

[1] Kerbside traffic buffers (Walking Space Guide, TS 01589)

[2] Signalised crossings on all intersection legs (Traffic Signal Design, TS 02670)

[3] Rationalised signage (Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, AS 1742 Part 2)

[4] Existing vegetation retained (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[5] Bus priority (Bus Priority Infrastructure Planning Toolbox)

[6] Trees in the median (Landscape Design Guideline, TS 01595)

[7] Alignment matched to topography (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[8] Trees in the verge (Landscape Design Guideline, TS 01595)

[9] Bicycle paths (Cycleway Design Toolbox, TS 01590) and Footpaths (Walking Space Guide, TS 01589), or Shared paths (Cycleway Design Toolbox, TS 01590)

[10] Safety barriers (Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 6)

[11] Road shoulders (Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 3)

[12] Smart technology (NSW Digital Infrastructure Requirements)

The design solutions library includes a full list of appropriate design solutions for principal arterials.

The Heavy Vehicle Access Policy should be used when determining design and check vehicles.

Design solutions for suburban principal arterials

Intersections in suburban contexts should facilitate easy, direct crossing for all people in recognition of higher place activity. This may result in a slightly lower performance for through traffic.

Slip lanes for left turns and multi-stage crossings should be considered in the context of the intersecting road or street typology and the adjoining land use and are usually not appropriate in suburban settings.

[1] Trees in the verge (Landscape Design Guideline, TS 01595)

[2] Trees in the median (Landscape Design Guideline, TS 01595)

[3] Safety barriers (Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 6)

[4] Existing vegetation retained (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[5] Bicycle paths (Cycleway Design Toolbox, TS 01590)

[6] Footpaths (Walking Space Guide, TS 01589)

[7] Kerbside traffic buffers (Walking Space Guide, TS 01589)

[8] Signalised crossings on all intersection legs (Traffic Signal Design, TS 02670)

[9] Single stage crossings (Traffic Signal Design, TS 02670)

[10] Alignment matched to topography (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[11] Smart technology (NSW Digital Infrastructure Requirements).

The design solutions library includes a full list of appropriate design solutions for principal arterials.

The Heavy Vehicle Access Policy should be used when determining design and check vehicles.