ACCELERATION LANE LENGTHS FOR HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

DATA WERE COLLECTED ON THE ACCELERATION RATE ACTUALLY BEING USED BY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ON A HIGH TYPE ROADWAY WITHOUT THE DRIVERS BEING AWARE THAT THEY WERE BEING OBSERVED. A STUDY WAS MADE AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL INTERCHANGE ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE. ONLY LOADED VEHICLES WERE INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE. SEMITRAILER TRUCKS WITH SINGLE REAR AXLES AND SEMITRAILER TRUCKS TANDEM REAR AXLES HAD NEARLY IDENTICAL ACCELERATION CHARACTERISTICS. ALL OF THE DATA ARE CONCERNED WITH VEHICLE ACCELERATIONS ON A LEVEL OR NEARLY LEVEL GRADE. SINGLE UNIT TRUCKS WERE FOUND TO ACCELERATE AT A HIGHER RATE THAN OTHER HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES AT SPEEDS BELOW 29 MILES PER HOUR. BUSES ACCELERATE AT A GREATER RATE ABOVE 29 MILES PER HOUR. SEMITRAILER TRUCKS ACCELERATE AT THE LOWEST RATE OF THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES STUDIED. ACCELERATION LANES DESIGNED UNDER CURRENT LENGTH STANDARDS ARE ADEQUATE FOR SINGLE UNIT TRUCKS FOR ALL HIGHWAY DESIGN SPEEDS OF 50 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS AND ARE ADEQUATE FOR SEMITRAILER TRUCKS FOR ALL HIGHWAY DESIGN SPEEDS OF 30 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS. DESIGN OF ACCELERATION LANES BASED ON THE ACCELERATION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSUMED SU OR C-50 DESIGN VEHICLES AS DETERMINED FROM THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS TRUCK ABILITY PREDICTION PROCEDURE DO NOT APPEAR JUSTIFIED, NOR ARE THEY REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE MOST HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Vol 27, No 5, PP 212-217, 2368 8 FIG, 4 TAB, 1 PHOT
  • Authors:
    • Deen, T B
  • Publication Date: 1957-2

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  • Accession Number: 00222780
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 29 1994 12:00AM