Examining the Impact of Differential Speed Limit on Driver Behavior in Passing Lanes of a Two-Lane Highway in Alaska

On two-lane highways, passing is among the most important driving behaviors. In the past, on heavily traveled highways, passing lanes provided increased opportunities for passing slow-moving vehicles. However, the effectiveness of passing lanes is affected by long trailed vehicles with limited maneuverability and driven by passenger car drivers. To increase passing of these vehicles, Differential Speed Limits (DSL) by lane were implemented after various traffic management strategies were analyzed using traffic simulation. This paper presents the evaluation of DSL implementation by lane i.e., posted speed limits of 65 and 55 mph on the left and right lanes, respectively on passing lanes of a two-lane highway near Anchorage, Alaska. The objective was to analyze the impact of DSL on drivers’ speeding behavior and traffic volume split by lane. Data (speed, traffic volume, classification) were collected at different locations in the two passing lanes with uniform speed limit (USL) and DSL during peak days of the week. Results indicated that the speed difference between the left and the right lanes reduced significantly due to DSL. The speed variation among the vehicles in the same lanes increased after implementation of DSL. Further, it was found that the left lane utilization increased due to the lower speed limit in the right lane. This study is unique compared to previous studies which examined the benefits of DSL implementation by vehicle type on multilane and two-lane highways.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB50 Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices. Examining Impact of Differential Speed Limit Deployment on Driver Behavior on Passing Lanes of a Two-Lane Highway in Alaska: This is an alternate title
• Authors:
  • Raza, Sajid
  • Bham, Ghulam H
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 4p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Passing lanes; Passing zones; Speed limits; Two lane highways
• Geographic Terms: Alaska; Anchorage (Alaska)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01660449
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-06636
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 20 2018 9:28AM