Public Access and the Use of the Street
Reshus harabim concerns a route genuinely open and used by the public. Legal ownership alone does not decide its status.
Open to the public
A controlled campus road, locked lane, or restricted private passage differs from a city street that anyone may enter and use at any time. The practical ability of the owner to exclude the public can affect the status even when many people are admitted.
Public ownership is not the sole test. A privately owned way may function as a public route, while a government-owned road behind working gates may have meaningful restrictions.
The nature of public movement
Vehicles, pedestrians, transit passengers, residents, workers, shoppers, and visitors can all form part of the public movement being analyzed. The relevant group depends on the definition of reshus harabim accepted by the posek.
A traffic count measures passages, while a census measures residents. Neither should be substituted for the other without explaining the halachic question the number is meant to answer.
Access and use can change
Gates may cease operating, private roads may be opened, and a quiet street may become a major public approach after development. An eruv that depends on restricted access needs continuing review of that condition.
The current use of the route matters. A historical description cannot settle a city whose public network has materially changed.