Effects of Left-Turn Waiting Areas on Capacity and Level of Service of Signalized Intersections

Transportation professionals in China have started using an unconventional left-turn waiting area design as an innovative approach to mitigate traffic congestion at signalized intersections. The waiting area is set up beyond the stop bar at single or dual left-turn lanes at signalized intersections with lagging protected left-turn phases. This paper evaluated the effects of left-turn waiting areas on capacity and level of service of exclusive left-turn lanes at signalized intersections using empirical data. Capacity and delay models were developed by analyzing the arrival and discharge patterns of left-turning vehicles at single and dual left-turn lanes with differently sized left-turn waiting areas. The saturation headway, start-up lost time, and clearance time for left-turning passenger cars were estimated with field data measured from 22 sites. The capacity and delay models were calibrated and validated against both field-measured and simulated data. The results of sensitivity analyses showed that left-turn waiting areas increase the capacity of left-turn lanes at signalized intersections, and the capacity gains will increase with an increase in the storage capacity of the left-turn waiting areas. A procedure was proposed to determine the level of service of left-turn lanes with left-turn waiting areas at signalized intersections.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000593
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/8674831
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Copyright © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers
• Authors:
  • Yang, Zhao
  • Liu, Pan
  • Tian, Zong Z
  • Wang, Wei
• Publication Date: 2013-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 1076-1085
• Serial:
  • Journal of Transportation Engineering
  • Volume: 139
  • Issue Number: 11
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0733-947X
  • Serial URL: https://ascelibrary.org/journal/jtepbs

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Highway capacity; Left turn lanes; Level of service; Signalized intersections; Traffic congestion; Traffic delays; Traffic signals
• Geographic Terms: China
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01496378
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ASCE
• Created Date: Oct 16 2013 2:26PM