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Acollector road ordistributor road is a low-to-moderate-capacityroad which serves to move traffic from localstreets toarterial roads. Unlike arterials, collector roads are designed to provide access toresidential properties. Rarely, jurisdictions differentiate major and minor collector roads, the former being generally wider and busier.[1]
Collector roads can vary widely in appearance. Some urban collectors are wide boulevards entering communities or connecting sections. Others are residential streets, which are typically wider than local roads, although few are wider than four lanes. Small-scalecommercial areas can be found on collector roads in residential areas. Key community functions such asschools,churches, andrecreational facilities can often be found on collector roads.
A collector road usually consists of a mixture ofsignaledintersections,roundabouts,traffic circles, orstop signs, often in the form offour-way stops. Two-way stops are generally used at intersections with local streets that favour traffic movement on the collector. In North America, a collector road normally has traffic lights at intersections with arterial roads, whereas roundabouts and two-way stops are more commonly used in Europe.
Speed limits are typically 20‑35 mph (30‑60 km/h) on collector roads in built-up areas, depending on the degree of development and frequency of local access, intersections, andpedestrians, as well as the surrounding area (the speed tends to be lowest inschool zones).Traffic calming is occasionally used in older areas on collector roads as well.
Collector roads can originate in several different ways. Most often, they are planned within asuburban layout and built expressly for that purpose; occasionally, they fill gaps in a grid system between arterial roads.Urban planners often consider such roads when laying out new areas of development becauseinfrastructure forutilities such aselectric power distribution lines, trunksewers andwater mains can be built through the samecorridor.