Public Recreation and Landscape Protection: Management Measures & Monitoring of changing Visitor Flows hand in hand!

The management of green spaces in Western countries, needs to balance conflicting interests of nature conservation and public leisure activities. Often visitors drive by car to and through these areas and many problems are related to car traffic. Managing car traffic is thus an important tool for landscape protection. In this paper we discuss traffic managent with a focus on parking policies. Empircal data is used to show how the number and location of parking places are an effective way to manage the number of cars and their spatial distribution. With this in mind the concept of gateways is introduced as a way to reduce diffuse traffic flows within an area. Studies show that a gateway can be succesful if it is strategically located and offers facilities and activities that meet visitor demands.