What term refers to a road designed specifically for minor, local traffic rather than major arteries?

The term that refers to a road designed specifically for minor, local traffic is "local street." Local streets are intended to facilitate access to residential areas, businesses, and other local destinations, prioritizing the needs of the community over larger traffic flows. Their design typically allows for lower speeds and a more pedestrian-friendly environment, making them distinct from roads that handle major, through traffic such as arterial streets or highways.

Other types of roads, like collector streets, serve a different function by gathering traffic from local streets and directing it to arterial roads. Collector streets play a vital role in balancing traffic volumes. Secondary arterials are higher-capacity routes that serve a larger volume of traffic than local streets, making them more suited for connecting different areas rather than focusing on local access. Lastly, the term "branch" is less commonly used in road classification and does not specifically imply a context limited to local traffic roads. Thus, "local street" best encapsulates the characteristics of roads designed for minor, local traffic.