The seven municipality study area covers approximately 88 square miles and supports a variety of active and passive land use. Significant development pressure is present as a consequence of the area's character, location and availability of land. In 2000, approximately 105,000 residents and 32,000 jobs occupied the study area. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission forecasts growth of approximately 30 percent for population, and 40 percent for employment by the year 2030.

Access to the broader region is afforded via Interstate 95; the Washington Crossing Bridge to Mercer County, New Jersey; and SEPTA's R3-West Trenton Regional Rail service to Central Philadelphia and Elwyn. The centerpiece to the area's highway network is the circumferential Newtown Bypass. The four-lane arterial highway is hub to a spoked set of two-lane radial highways. The bypass functions to collect and accommodate through travel while preserving the distinctive village environment in the Borough of Newtown

As the area develops traffic volume mounts, congestion worsens, and vehicles are prone to take "short cuts" along roads and streets less suited for the volume. Traffic safety concerns follow the spreading traffic demand. The Bucks County Regional Traffic Study seeks to address these interrelationships focusing on a set of key study area roadways.