Measure type: Directing traffic flows

Directing traffic flows is the measure of reducing the opportunitiese for a criminal to approach a sutable target by physically separating the flows of traffic.

Effectiveness

Economic effectiveness

Directing traffic flows does not only reduce the potential impact of security threats, but also requires time and money by private agents, companies/developers and the public authorities, exacting economic costs. Together, the benefits and costs are referred to as economic impact of security measures. The costs of traffic flow management measures contain the relatively straightforward direct expenditures on capital equipment and operational costs (both temporary and permanent), and in addition generate various types of secondary effects.

In general traffic flows that are being managed will be more robust than in the opposite case. One should bear in mind though that at the same time traffic will be limited as well. This as a result of this traffic flow directing. Traffic rules such as speed limits, for example, aim to improve safety and the robustness of the road network, but at the same time increase travel time for road users Since they cannot drive as fast as wished for in all cases). Indirectly, this limited accessibility could lead to negative economic effects as a result of the less efficient transportation of goods, skills and persons. These negative impacts will reduce the functioning of the markets in the local economy, reduce the functioning of labour markets and attribute to less scale and agglomeration advances due to a decreased market size.

Whether the costs are making sense from an economic point of view, depends on many factors, and can be answered by two distinct sets of questions:

1. Are the envisioned measures cost effective from a socio-economic point of view, or are there better alternatives?
2. Which specific agents (individuals, companies, sectors, authorities) are affected by the specific measures, and to which extend? How do the envisioned measures adjust the behaviour of these agents, and of course the behaviour of criminals/terrorists?

Economic tools can help the decision makers to answer these questions and to prevent wasteful expenditures on security (of course in collaboration with insights from criminology, sociology, etc.).