With respect to transportation, the town and country strategy represents a very efficient pattern of growth. The arrangement of activity generators and population centers into distinct nodes makes it feasible to accommodate travel needs through a variety of routes and travel modes. Figure 6-5 illustrates the existing regional transportation network.

The transportation system that supports the town and country vision is considerably different from that which serves the contemporary—or “trends extended”—growth pattern. Under the contemporary pattern, all traffic is focused onto a limited number of major thoroughfares. Commercial developers respond to this concentration of traffic by building strip malls along these roadways, which generate even more traffic. In general, most properties along these corridors—including strip malls, subdivisions, and office parks—are connected together by only the main thoroughfare, meaning that short local trips between parcels are forced to mix with regional through-trips on the same roadways. This creates a great deal of “traffic friction” and is hence very inefficient in terms of circulation. See Figure 6-6.

The town and country transportation system consists of numerous small (i.e., two-lane) thoroughfares instead of a few large ones. Interconnectedness between roadways is encouraged wherever possible. In the vicinity of major activity areas, improved alternate linkages between land uses—including new local roadways, pedestrian connections, and “cross-access” between parcels—help remove a sizable portion of local trips from main thoroughfares. Such main roadways can hence retain manageable cross-sections. See Figure 6-7. 
 
Overall, a well-connected system of two-lane roadways—supported by a dense network of supplementary linkages in areas of elevated activity—conveys the following benefits:
 

• Efficient Vehicular Flow – The separation of short local trips from longer regional trips minimizes traffic friction and supports a sustainable flow of vehicles.
• Increased Route Choices – A well-connected two-lane network provides motorists with numerous route options between their origins and destinations, instead of holding them hostage to a single thoroughfare.
• Development Focused at Intersections – While contemporary multilane thoroughfares typically carry 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day, each two-lane roadway of the town and country model carries only approximately 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles per day. In the contemporary model, the typical traffic criteria for commercial development (exposure to approximately 25,000 vehicles per day) are satisfied at every point along each major thoroughfare. Conversely, in the town and country model, these criteria are fulfilled only at intersections, where two or more two-lane roads meet. Instead of endless strip corridors that eat away the natural landscape and generate erratic local trip patterns, development in the latter option is organized into clusters at intersections that are easily served by alternate routes and modes. See Figure 6-8.
• Increased Mode Choices – When development is clustered at intersections rather than spread out across the landscape, alternate modes of transportation become attractive options for both regional and local travel. For one, the efficiency of transit is increased because stops can be located at clusters of activity rather that at relatively indiscriminate points along strip corridors. Additionally, because activity is clustered together, many people will choose to walk rather than drive between specific destinations.
• Improved Trip Quality – The town and country transportation strategy improves overall trip quality, i.e., the degree to which travel is enjoyable and pleasant rather than frustrating and unsafe. Instead of being funneled onto a few major multilane highways for every trip, regional residents can select from a myriad of two-lane routes or may choose to walk, bike, or utilize transit for certain trips. Travel in the town and country model is largely characterized by natural green space with intermittent villages instead of a constant bombardment of commercialism and asphalt. 
• In general, site access is the most important factor in the decision to locate new development. As shown below, a two-lane interconnected street network can provide better overall site access (for instance, for a large commercial or industrial complex) while creating a better framework for integrating such a project with its surroundings. By configuring the transportation system to maximize access in areas that can best accommodate new development, transportation planners can have a profound influence on regional growth patterns. See Figure 6-9.

Due to its significant reduction of both traffic friction and induced traffic, a system of two-lane roadways spaced every mile or less apart can carry traffic considerably more efficiently than a system of four or six-lane highways spaced every several miles apart. Moreover, while most contemporary transportation plans are very reactive to the traffic demands of trend development patterns, the town and country system is very proactive in that, in addition to fulfilling traffic requirements, it also helps establish the framework for a desirable growth pattern.