Analysis of opposing left-turn conflicts based on traffic conflict technology

The relationship between the opposing left-turn conflict and the traffic participants was analyzed in this study. Based on the traffic conflict technology, the image data were collected in a real traffic situation. The relationship was investigated under two different conditions. The number of opposing left-turn conflicts was positively correlated with the number of left-turn vehicles while the ratio of left-turn vehicles to opposing vehicles was less than 1, and showed a positive correlation with the number of opposing-through vehicles when the ratio of left-turn vehicles to opposing vehi- cles was more than 1. In other words, the opposing left-turn risk was positively correlated with the number of the minor traffic participants, which had a negative effect on the whole traffic system op- eration.

Influence of bus stop with left-turn lines between two adjacent signalized intersections

Based on the symmetric two-lane Nagel–Schreckenberg（STNS） model, a three-lane cellular automaton model between two intersections containing a bus stop with left-turning buses is established in which model the occurrences of vehicle accidents are taken into account. The characteristics of traffic flows with different ratios of left-turn lines are discussed via the simulation experiments. The results indicate that the left-turn lines have more negative effects on capacity,accident rate as well as delay if the stop is located close to the intersections, where the negative effect in a near-side stop is more severe than that in a far-side one. The range of appropriate position for a bus stop without the bottleneck effect becomes more and more narrow with the increase of the ratio of left-turn bus lines. When the inflow is small, a short signal cycle and a reasonable offset are beneficial. When the inflow reaches or exceeds the capacity, a longer signal cycle is helpful. But if the stop position is inappropriate, the increase of cycle fails in reducing the negative effect of left-turning buses and the effectiveness of offset is weakened.

Impact of Pedestrian Traffic on Saturation Rate of Protected Left-Turn at Urban Intersections

Heavily congested intersections in metropolitan areas in China are facing unique problems due to high travel demand and a high degree of traffic law violations. Based on a study conducted by the authors of this paper, 93% of left-turn vehicles turning left in these areas were slowed in order to avoid conflict with pedestrians. Intertwined pedestrian and vehicular flows can significantly reduce the capacity of exclusive left-turn lane group through reducing saturation flow rate, which increases the congestion at intersections. This paper investigates how the saturation flow rate of exclusive left-turn lane group is affected by the characteristics of pedestrian flow. By analyzing the imagery data collected by video cameras installed at intersections, the research team is able to obtain the characteristics of both vehicular and pedestrian flows, such as speed and spatial locations. The average operating speed at the saturation flow rate with and without pedestrian traffic is used as a direct measurement to evaluate the effect of pedestrians. Based on the statistical analysis, the paper concludes that saturation flow rate is mainly affected by the position of pedestrian in the crosswalk (inside or outside of left-turn vehicle’s trajectory), and the distance between the vehicle and pedestrians. In general, when the distance is less than four meters, the smaller the distance between vehicle and pedestrians, the larger the impact. However, there is no significant impact when the distance is larger than four meters. To accurately quantify the effect, the degree of pedestrian-vehicle impact is defined in four levels. The results show that the difference in the saturation flow rate between the best and the worst level could be 15.7%, which clearly indicates how important it is to enforce pedestrian crossing behavior.

Developing Framework to Test Driving Performance at Left-Turn Movement with In-Vehicle Advance Collision Warning Message

Left-turning traffic without a protected left-turn signal is one of the major safety concerns at urban intersections. Though an average of only l0% - 15% of all approaching traffic turns left, significantly a large proportion of left-turn crashes occur involving 21% of all intersection fatal crashes. Where traditional safety countermeasures of signal timing-phasing and use of flashing yellow light have reportedly failed to significantly reduce the rate of crashes, an in-vehicle advance collision warning message can be helpful to reduce left-turn collisions at intersections. In this study, an in-vehicle audio warning application has been designed by providing two safety warning messages (Advance Warning Message and Safe Left-turn Maneuver Message) under the vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication system, which is triggered based on the acceptable gaps of oncoming opposing vehicles for a safe left-turn. A driving simulator test has been conducted with 30 participants to investigate the impacts of warning messages on performance measures such as speed and acceleration profiles, collision records, brake reaction distance, and intersection clearance time. Statistical results showed that with the help of these messages, all participants were able to reduce speeds and accelerations and chose suitable gaps without potential conflicts. Moreover, the results of questionnaire analysis provide a positive acceptability especially for the Safe Left-turn Maneuver Message. Based on the performance measurements, this type of safety warning messages can be recommended for possible real-road tests for practical applications.

Bandwidth Maximization Approach for Displaced Left-Turn Crossovers Coordination under Heterogeneous Traffic Conditions

As one of the UAIDs(unconventional alternative intersection designs),DLTs(displaced left-turn crossovers)have been presented to mitigate traffic congestion.Although,qualitatively and quantitatively isolated UAIDs outperform their conventional counterparts,there is no simplified procedure to consider the DLTs coordination.Hence,this research investigates the coordination of consecutive DLTs under heterogeneous traffic conditions.To achieve the optimal coordination and provide an efficient coordination control,a bandwidth maximization progression approach was used.Seeking the optimal offset for each pair of consecutive intersections to guarantee the green bandwidth waves along the coordinated corridor,a mixed-integer linear program was adopted.The optimization problem was formulated and solved based on the standard branch-and-bound technique.As a real-world study case,data of three typical intersections located in an arterial corridor in Cairo,Egypt was used.PTV-VISSIM as a microsimulation platform was employed to simulate and evaluate the different signal timing plans.However,to represent the heterogeneous traffic characteristics as close as possible to the reality,different simulation parameters were tuned and validated carefully.The results emphasized the undoubted improvement of coordinated DLTs by different operational performance indices.The total travel time,average delay,the number of stops per vehicle were obviously improved.

Set methods of left-turn waiting zone at signalized intersection

To maximize the number of vehicles passing by the stop-line in a cycle and improve the operation efficiency of intersection in China,the settlement of left-turn lane waiting-zone is becoming prevailing. Based on conflicting-point method,the internal mechanism of left-turn flow after stopping line was analyzed through taking postposition left-turn lane waiting-zone intersection for instance. The relationship between the first left-turn vehicle and the last vehicle of previous phase passing the conflicting point was expounded. According to the time of successive arriving of two vehicle flows at conflicting-point,the reasonable layout for waiting area of left-turn vehicles was researched when the clearance index was less than 0. The results suggest that the appropriate layout for waiting area of left-turning vehicles can improve the operation efficiency of intersections.

Left-turn phasing selection considering vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to pedestrian conflicts

Left-turning vehicle movement at signalized intersections with permissive left-turn phases creates safety concerns due to the higher chance of conflict with opposing-through vehicles and pedestrians.In this research,a simulation-based study was conducted to evaluate pedestrians’impact on traffic conflicts between left-turning vehicles and opposing-through vehicles(V-V conflicts)as well as traffic conflicts between left-turning vehicles and pedestrians(V-P conflicts)in the permissive left-turn phasing scenario.Intersections with different opposing-through volumes,left-turn volumes,number of opposing-through lanes,and pedestrian volumes were modeled in VISSIM,a traffic micro-simulator.The surrogate safety assessment model(SSAM)was used to estimate the number of V-V and VP conflicts.The effect of pedestrian presence on V-V and V-P conflicts was evaluated using simulation scenarios with and without pedestrian presence.Simulation results revealed that pedestrian presence increased both V-V and V-P conflicts.As pedestrian presence increased the total number of traffic conflicts,permissive left-turn phasing processed fewer left-turn vehicles to maintain the same level of intersection safety with pedestrian presence compared to the no-pedestrian scenario.Since current left-turn phasing decision guidelines do not consider the impacts of pedestrian presence,this research quantified pedestrian-influenced and pedestrian-involved left-turn traffic conflicts to determine appropriate left-turn signal phasing decisions to ensure safe and efficient crossing of pedestrians and vehicles at signalized intersections.This simulation-based study’s findings can be beneficial in the decision making of left-turn phasing selection as the before-after intersection safety performance analysis by collecting field data often resources intensive.

基于模拟驾驶的借道左转驾驶人视觉特性研究

借道左转是一种缓解左转车流压力的新型交通组织方法,通过信号灯时空调配借用对向车道为左转待行区,提高相位内左转车辆通行能力。笔者运用驾驶模拟平台,建立城市道路交叉口借道左转仿真场景;结合眼动追踪系统,获取驾驶人借道左转过程中视觉特性参数的变化;通过瞳孔变化和眼动行为,分析驾驶人心理紧张程度及其与行车风险的关联。结果表明:识读借道左转标识及分隔带开口、到达分隔带开口和到达借用车道停车线几个位置,是驾驶人瞳孔面积变化和持续注视时间、注视兴趣区域变化以及扫视频率骤增的集中点,反映出相应位置驾驶人风险感知强、心理负荷大;借道左转短期注视行为较多,注视时长差距较大,表明该过程驾驶人关注目标多、摄取信息密集且处理难度悬殊,需要进行高强度的信息处理;累计扫视时间占比高于普通左转,且以5°以下小角度扫视为主,反映出借道左转过程环境信息复杂、行车风险较大,驾驶人搜索、对比分析的需求更高,扫视主要是为了捕捉关注目标和补充注视信息。

信控交叉口借道左转设计的延误优化研究

为准确分析交叉口借道左转设计的左转延误,针对现有的延误模型的不足,建立一个合适的延误优化模型,并提升其设置的科学性。先对逆向车道长度进行优化;再通过分析左转车辆的累计到达驶离曲线,以左转总延误最小为优化目标,建立一种新的考虑预信号延误的优化模型;最后,以长沙市芙蓉中路一个交叉口为实例,进行验证,分析左转到达流率对借道左转设计延误的影响及逆向车道长度对左转车均延误的影响。研究结果表明:左转流率越大,越能充分发挥借道左转设计的优势,该模型的左转延误下降可达59.21%;当左转流量偏低时,预信号位置的延误占比较大,随着左转流量的增大,传统车道和逆向车道的延误占比逐步增加。该研究可以准确评价借道左转设计的实用性和优劣程度,对借道左转设计的推广与应用具有重要意义。

Volume warrants for major and minor roads left-turning traffic lanes at unsignalized T-intersections： A case study using VISSIM modelling

The most common type of intersection improvement considered in Ghana is signalization. However, other actions such as the installation of left-turn lanes have been proven to improve the efficiency and safety of an intersection without the need for signalization in the short term. Warrants which guide the installation of such lanes in Ghana are adopted from elsewhere and as a result do not reflect local traffic flow conditions. This study established volume warrants based on a delay threshold to guide the installation of left- turn lanes at unsignalized T-intersections using VISSIM micro simulation tool. The VISSIM model was calibrated using traffic flow, delay, average and maximum queue length data obtained from a two-hour video recording of the case study intersection during the morning peak period. After calibration, several scenarios covering a wide range of opera- tional conditions were simulated. Using level of service （LOS） C cut off point of 25 s/veh as the maximum acceptable delay to minor road left-turning traffic, an equation y = -0.57x ＋1091 has been developed which predicts the minor road left-turn volume threshold （y） above which a minor road left-turn lane may be considered and below which a minor road left-turn lane may not be necessary for a range of major road volumes （x）. The critical delay to major road left-turning traffic was found to be 16 s/veh. Major road left-turn lane volume warrants were also determined based on this threshold delay value. The approach used in this study can serve as a guide that can be used by metropolitan and municipal road en- gineers to assess the need for left-turn lanes.

Critical Conditions for Left-Turn Lane's Stop Line Backwards Setting Under Exclusive Left-Turn Phase

Aiming at the problem that the vehicles always turn left in advance which causes heavy conflicts in the intersection and effected traffic efficiency,the solution of the left-turn lane’s stop line backwards setting was proposed,and the critical conditions on the stop line’s setting were studied.Firstly,we studied the characteristics of trajectories distribution in the release process of turning left in advance vehicles.Based on that,we proposed to move the stop line backwards to solve the problem of turning left in advance.Considering the intersection’s geometric features and the vehicle operation features,the geometric critical condition was given for setting the position of left-turn lane’s stop line.And then the model of left-turn vehicles’queuing length was established based on queuing theory and traffic wave theory.By using queuing length model,the flow restrictions of stop line backwards could be found.Assuming left-turn vehicles’arrival rate is stable in a certain period of time,the minimum green time and the maximum red time of left-turn phase were given after the stop line was set up.According to the changes of the vehicles’turning paths,the shortest yellow setting recommendation was given.Finally,the application of the critical limits used in stop line backwards setting was demonstrated.The research result could provide a theoretical basis for traffic signs and markings’setting and perfect the relevant laws and regulations.

基于多目标配时优化模型和交通设计的城市交叉口协同优化研究

文章基于多目标配时优化模型和交通设计,旨在缓解城市道路交通拥堵。通过分析城市道路交叉口交通流特性和问题,关注交叉口车流流向、车流交织点以及配时合理性。在交通设计方面,提出将左转车道右置的渠化设计方案。在配时优化方面,建立了多目标优化模型,以延误、通行能力和停车次数为优化目标,以各相位有效绿灯时间、交叉口饱和度及周期时长为约束条件。通过遗传算法对模型进行求解,并用SUMO仿真软件评价求解结果。研究结果表明,交叉口的时空资源得到更有效的利用,明显缓解了交通压力,为城市道路交叉口的运行、管理和规划提供了参考。

信号交叉口借道左转设计方法研究

借道左转作为一种提高交叉口通行能力的交通管理措施,应用广泛。为了使借道左转的使用效果最优,总结借道左转的适用条件和实际运行的4个阶段,提出通过确定左转预信号相位和借道左转车道长度的方法,进行借道左转方案设计。首先,以单位时间借道左转的车辆数为评价标准,分析车道长度变化对借道左转实施效果的影响;其次,归纳出不同参数间的数学关系,得出最优借道左转车道长度与其他变量的转换方法,并推导出合适的左转预信号相位方案;最后,通过VISSIM软件仿真模型进行验证,证明设计方法的有效性。

Optimal control of automated left-turn platoon at contraflow left-turn lane intersections

Purpose–This study aims to propose a centralized optimal control model for automated left-turn platoon at contraflow left-turn lane(CLL)intersections.Design/methodology/approach–The lateral lane change control and the longitudinal acceleration in the control horizon are optimized simultaneously with the objective of maximizing traffic efficiency and smoothness.The proposed model is cast into a mixed-integer linear programming problem and then solved by the branch-and-bound technique.Findings–The proposed model has a promising control effect under different geometric controlled conditions.Moreover,the proposed model performs robustly under various safety time headways,lengths of the CLL and green times of the main signal.Originality/value–This study proposed a centralized optimal control model for automated left-turn platoon at CLL intersections.The lateral lane change control and the longitudinal acceleration in the control horizon are optimized simultaneously with the objective of maximizing traffic efficiency and smoothness。

菱形立交桥下十字平交口左转车辆行驶轨迹对桥梁跨径影响研究

近年来一级干线公路与地方道路菱形立交的情况越来越多,常规设计中往往对菱形立交桥下平交口行驶轨迹分析不到位,主线跨线桥布置多考虑被交路的建筑限界要求而忽略了转弯行驶的需要,导致设计缺陷。模拟对向左转弯车辆临界相切轨迹,得到中央分隔带宽度、两对向左转车道停止线之间的净距和转弯半径关系方程。计算分析表明:满足左转通行要求的轨迹曲线半径及跨线桥梁跨径由中分带宽度B、道路夹角α来确定。桥下十字型平面交叉口设计需先行计算对向左转弯车辆切点间最小净距L,据此合理确定上部桥梁跨径,如此才可保证桥下平交口的安全运行。

A Workable Solution for Reducing the Large Number of Vehicle and Pedestrian Accidents Occurring on a Yellow Light

Traffic intersections are incredibly dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. Statistics from both Canada and the U.S. show a high number of fatalities and serious injuries related to crashes at intersections. In Canada, during 2019, the National Collision Database shows that 28% of traffic fatalities and 42% of serious injuries occurred at intersections. Likewise, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) found that about 40% of the estimated 5,811,000 accidents in the U.S. during the year studied were intersection-related crashes. In fact, a major survey by the car insurance industry found that nearly 85% of drivers could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a yellow traffic light at an intersection. One major reason for these accidents is the “yellow light dilemma,” the ambiguous situation where a driver should stop or proceed forward when unexpectedly faced with a yellow light. This situation is even further exacerbated by the tendency of aggressive drivers to inappropriately speed up on the yellow just to get through the traffic light. A survey of Canadian drivers conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation found that 9% of drivers admitted to speeding up to get through a traffic light. Another reason for these accidents is the increased danger of making a left-hand turn on yellow. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), left turns occur in approximately 22.2% of collisions—as opposed to just 1.2% for right turns. Moreover, a study by CNN found left turns are three times as likely to kill pedestrians than right turns. The reason left turns are so much more likely to cause an accident is because they take a driver against traffic and in the path of oncoming cars. Additionally, most of these left turns occur at the driver’s discretion—as opposed to the distressingly brief left-hand arrow at busy intersections. Drive Safe Now proposes a workable solution for reducing the number of accidents occurring during a yellow light at intersections. We believe this fairly simple solution will save lives, prevent injuries, reduce damage to public and private property, and decrease insurance costs.

设置移位左转车道的不对称交通流信号交叉口设计及优化

常规的交通组织与信号控制处理不对称车流的效果不理想,会造成时间、道路资源的浪费。针对不对称交通流的特性,提出设置移位左转车道的不对称交通流交叉口信号控制优化方案。以直行车辆与左转车辆车均延误最小为目标,建立移位左转交叉口时空资源优化模型与车辆延误计算模型。通过研究交通流不对称程度与移位左转车道长度对左转车辆延误的影响,分析不对称交通流移位左转车道的适应性,并运用VISSIM软件对优化方案进行仿真。仿真结果表明:与交叉口现状相比,方案2中车辆的平均延误降低27.2%,平均排队长度降低29.7%,说明移位左转车道信号控制方案能极大改善不对称交通流交叉口车辆的行驶情况,减少车均延误时间,使车流运行更加顺畅。

城市道路应急车辆借道通行与信号协同优化模型

考虑单一的信号优先策略无法保证应急车辆不停车通过交叉口,因此,本文提出应急车辆借用逆向左转车道与交叉口信号协同优化模型。首先,在路段上通过应急车辆速度引导与逆向左转车道预信号配时的协同控制,优化应急车辆路段行驶速度,实现借用逆向左转车道通行;其次,增设应急相位保证应急车辆优先通过交叉口,以社会车辆出行总时间最小为目标,相位开启时间和绿灯持续时间为决策变量,考虑交叉口相位间的冲突、预信号开启和持续时间等约束条件,建立混合整数线性规划模型;并通过AMPL(A Mathematical Programming Language)编译并调用求解器求解,最后,以主干道和次干道相交的交叉口为例,对所提模型进行验证。结果表明:与绿灯延长模型相比,协同优化模型能显著降低应急车辆在交叉口区域的出行时间,减少社会车辆出行总时间。通过对流量和车道长度等参数的敏感性分析发现,随着流量和车道长度的增加,协同优化模型具有更好的优化效果。

考虑左转汇入的干线协调控制与速度引导优化

考虑到相交道路左转汇入车流对干线协调效率的影响,本文以绿波带宽最大为目标提出了干线协调控制下直行车辆及左转汇入车辆的速度引导模型.首先,在干线绿波控制(Maxband)模型的基础上确定干线直行车辆的可通行时间,引导干线直行车辆在绿波时间段内到达交叉口;然后,加入控制左转汇入车辆的通行时间方程,引导左转汇入车辆在不影响干线协调控制的时间内通过交叉口,与干线直行车辆实现时间上的分离;最后,基于VISSIM和MATLAB进行仿真实验,结果表明本文提出的优化模型可以有效提高干线交叉口的通行效率.

一种环形交叉口“左转两步”信号控制的新方法

为避免环形交叉口各车流发生冲突,首先以“左转两步”控制原理及“双环”相位相序为基础,分析了不同相位环道信号灯的运行关系。其次提出了二次左转车辆储存时长概念,并设计了基于左转车流储存时长的环道周期计算方法(取环道不同相位实际左转车流最大储存时长作为环道周期)。在相位衔接上,结合实际左转流量给出了左转车流潜在冲突判断,对进口道左转绿灯启亮时间进行了优化。同时根据二次左转车辆运行特征和左转流量给出了环道绿灯优化时长。最后以车均延误、平均最大排队长度为指标设计了总流量增减试验、左转比例增减试验、不同环形交叉口直径试验,验证不同配时方法的适用性。总流量增减试验表明,总流量约为2200~6500veh/h时,新方法车均延误相较于Yang方法减少12%,相较于Cakici方法减少20%。左转比例增减试验表明,新方法适用于左转车流比例小于35%;Yang方法适用于左转车流比例35%~50%;不同环形交叉口直径试验表明,Cakici方法适用于直径不小于80m的环形交叉口。