LATERAL VEHICLE PLACEMENT AND STEERING WHEEL REVERSALS ON A SIMULATED BRIDGE OF VARIABLE WIDTH

MANY STATES ARE ENGAGED IN LARGE-SCALE PROGRAMS OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT, WHICH INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BRIDGES AS WELL AS WIDENING OF OLDER ONES. AT THE PRESENT TIME THERE ARE NO PROVEN GUIDELINES ON THE OPTIMUM SHOULDER WIDTH FOR BRIDGES. THE RESEARCH REPORTED HERE UTILIZED A GREENSHIELDS DRIVOMETER AND AN 8-MM TIME-LAPSE MOVIE CAMERA TO RECORD STEERING REVERSALS AND LATERAL PLACEMENT IN THE VICINITY OF A SIMULATED BRIDGE. EIGHT MALE AND TWO FEMALE SUBJECTS WERE TESTED FOR EIGHT SHOULDER WIDTH CONDITIONS. EACH SUBJECT DROVE THE INSTRUMENTED TEST VEHICLE ACROSS THE SIMULATED 50-FT BRIDGE FOR A TOTAL OF 30 RUNS FOR EACH OF THE EIGHT TEST CONDITIONS. STATISTICAL AND GRAPHICAL ANALYSES OF THE DATA SHOWED CONSIDERABLE VARIATION AMONG THE INDIVIDUAL SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, CERTAIN TRENDS WERE SHOWN FOR ALL SUBJECTS. STEERING REVERSALS, BOTH MINOR AND MAJOR, WERE RELATIVELY CONSTANT FOR SHOULDER WIDTHS GREATER THAN 4 FT. THE DISTANCE OF VEHICLE FROM CENTERLINE OF ROADWAY ALSO REACHED A MAXIMUM FOR A 4- TO 6-FT SHOULDER WIDTH. THE SUBJECTS TENDED TO DRIVE CLOSER TO THE CENTERLINE FOR SHOULDER WIDTHS LESS THAN OR GREATER THAN APPROXIMATELY 4 TO 6 FT. THESE RESULTS INDICATE THE NEED FOR A MINIMUM SHOULDER WIDTH OF 4 TO 6 FT IF TRAFFIC OPERATIONS ARE NOT TO BE INFLUENCED.

  • Record URL:
  • Availability:
  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Sponsored by Commitee on Operational Effects of Geometrics. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • King, L Ellis
    • Plummer, Ralph W
  • Conference:
  • Publication Date: 1973

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 61-69
  • Monograph Title: Relations between geometric design and operations
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00226770
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309021626
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Dec 22 1973 12:00AM