Road classification systems define functions and present design criteria for different types of streets and roads.
Conventional thoroughfare design is driven by traffic demand and level of service objectives. The design process usually starts with functional classification and number of lanes. These fundamental criteria (functional class and lanes) are independent of the adjacent context except whether the thoroughfare is located in a rural or urban setting. A design process integrating the principles of CSS emphasizes that as context changes, thoroughfare design should also change to support the activity generated by the context. As the intensity of adjacent land uses increase, the streetside should also accommodate the resulting increase in the diversity of functions. Similarly, the traveled way should emphasize support for context-related activities such as on-street parking, bike travel, transit stops, land access, and pedestrian friendly intersections, often requiring the need to balance automobile capacity and other multi-modal design elements.
Source: Fact Sheet 4: Using Context Zones and Thoroughfare Type in Design (ITE)
