LANE ASSIGNMENT STRATEGIES AND OVERTAKING

STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE DRIVING DISCIPLINE WHICH REQUIRES DRIVERS TO OVERTAKE TO THE LEFT AND TO RETURN TO THE RIGHT LANE UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE MANEUVER IS MANDATORY ON TWO-LANE ROADS. THE NECESSITY AND WISDOM OF MAINTAINING THE SAME STRATEGY ON ROADS WITH TWO OR MORE LANES IN ONE DIRECTION IS NOT OBVIOUS. CONSEQUENCES ON THE RATE OF LANE-CHANGE OVERTAKINGS OF AN ALTERNATE DRIVING DISCIPLINE ARE EXPLORED. THE NEW DISCIPLINE CONSITS OF ASSIGNING VEHICLES TO LANES ACCORDING TO THEIR DESIRED TRAVEL SPEED SO THAT VEHICLES WITH SPEED IN THE SAME INTERVAL OF THE SPEED DISTRIBUTION TRAVEL NORMALLY IN THE SAME LANE. IT IS SHOWN THAT LANE CHANGING IS MINIMIZED WHEN THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN TWO ADJACENT SPEED INTERVALS IS THEIR SPACE MEAN SPEED. A SIMPLE BEHAVIORAL RULE TO BE FOLLOWED BY DRIVERS WHICH LEADS TO THE OPTIMAL ASSIGNMENT IS FORMULATED. THE PAYOFF FROM REPLACING THE TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINE BY THE OPTIMAL IS QUANTIFIED. ON A TYPICAL RURAL HIGHWAY WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC AND TWO LANES IN ONE DIRECTION, LANE CHANGING MAY BE REDUCED BY APPROXIMATELY 70 PER CENT, IF THE STRICT PASS-TO-THE-LEFT DISCIPLINE IS REPLACED BY AN OPTIMAL ASSIGNMENT TO LANES. /TRRL/

• Authors:
  • Haver, E
• Publication Date: 1972-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 403-9
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research /UK/
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Pergamon Press, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Oversize loads; Rural highways; Speed; Speed change lanes; Traffic assignment; Traffic lanes; Two lane highways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Overloads
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226972
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 11 1974 12:00AM