IN SITU STUDY DETERMINING LANE-MANEUVERING DISTANCE FOR THREE- AND FOUR-LANE FREEWAYS FOR VARIOUS TRAFFIC-VOLUME CONDITIONS

The objective of this research was to determine on the basis of driver performance the distance it takes a driver to maneuver across several lanes in light, medium, and heavy traffic. The distance was expected to vary with a number of situational variables, several of which were investigated in this research. To obtain actual freeway distances associated with components of the model, an instrumented vehicle study was performed. Twenty drivers from Houston, Texas, drove sections of two freeways near downtown Houston. Interstate 45 was used for the lane-maneuvering study. All drivers were required to drive a three- and a four-lane section of the freeway and maneuver from the extreme left lane to the extreme right lane in light, medium, and heavy traffic. To determine an estimate of maneuvering distance, each driver was required (by instructions) to perform in succession three lane-change manuevers on both the three- and the four-lane sections in each of the three traffic volumes. The distances were determined indirectly by recording the time required for a particular test and the speed of the test vehicle during each particular test. The major contribution of this research was a set of empirically determined maneuvering distances based on actual driving performance on a three- and a four-lane freeway under various traffic-volume conditions. Rather than a single value, the research findings offer several distances appropriate under various assumptions regarding the number of lanes, traffic volumes and speed, visibility, driver familiarity, and the percentage of drivers to be accommodated by the distance. The results indicate that traffic volumes and the number of lanes have a significant effect on maneuvering distance. Another finding was that when a driver is traveling at low speed in heavy traffic, the distance required to maneuver is significantly less than that when the speed of the vehicle is higher. (Author)

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1982/869/869-006.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=IN+SITU+STUDY+DETERMINING+LANE-MANEUVERING+DISTANCE+FOR+THREE-+AND+FOUR-LANE+FREEWAYS+FOR+VARIOUS+TRAFFIC-VOLUME+CONDITIONS&author=R.+McNees&publication_year=1982
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics. 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:
  • McNees, Roger W
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 37-43
• Monograph Title: Highway capacity and traffic characteristics
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 869
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Distance; Driver performance; Drivers; Four lane highways; Freeways; Lane changing; Personnel performance; Three lane highways; Traffic surveys; Traffic volume
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic studies
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I71: Traffic Theory;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00370583
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030903373X
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 31 1983 12:00AM