Passenger Car and Truck Operating Speed Models on Multilane Highways with Combinations of Horizontal Curves and Steep Grades
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 11
Abstract
Operating speed prediction models have been proposed as a candidate method to assess design consistency on highways and streets. A significant number of operating speed prediction models exist for passenger cars on two-lane rural highways. Few models exist for passenger cars on multilane highways, while the literature is scant for operating speed models for trucks on multilane highways. This research uses a systems modeling approach to predict passenger car and truck operating speeds on multilane highways with combinations of horizontal curves and steep vertical grades. Mean operating speeds were modeled as a function of several geometric design features and the traffic control devices present at each study site. Further, the possible endogenous relationship between passenger car and truck speeds was investigated. The findings indicate that the radius of horizontal curve appears to have a larger influence on passenger car operating speeds than truck speeds. Vertical grades appear to have a more significant influence on truck operating speeds than on passenger car speeds. Increasing the right shoulder width is associated with higher passenger car operating speeds, but the lane width was not statistically significant in the passenger car speed models. Increasing the lane width, however, was associated with higher truck operating speeds; the right shoulder width was not associated with truck operating speeds. Higher posted speed limits were associated with higher truck and passenger car operating speeds. An endogenous relationship between truck and passenger car operating speeds was found.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The data used in this research were collected as part of NCHRP Project 15-39, and the authors are grateful for the support of the project panel and project team. The authors also wish to acknowledge the three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, which helped improve the quality of the manuscript.
References
AASHTO. (2011). “A policy on geometric design of highways and streets.” 6th Ed., Washington, DC.
Adolini-Minnicino, M., and Elefteriadou, L. (2004). “Speed prediction models for trucks on two-lane rural highways.” Proc., 83rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Ali, A., Flannery, A., and Venigalla, M. (2007). “Prediction models for free flow speed on urban streets.” Proc., 86th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Boyle, L., and Mannering, F. (2004). “Impact of traveler advisory systems on driving speed: Some new evidence.” Transp. Res. Part C, 12(1), 57–72.
Cruzado, I., and Donnell, E. T. (2010). “Factors affecting driver speed choice along two-lane rural highway transition zones.” J. Transp. Eng., 755–764.
Donnell, E. T., Ni, Y., Adolini, M., and Elefteriadou, L. (2001). “Speed prediction models for trucks on two-lane rural highways.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 44–55.
Figueroa, A., and Tarko, A. (2004). “Reconciling speed limits with design speeds.”, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN.
Fitzpatrick, K., Shamburger, C., Krammes, R., and Fambro, D. (1997). “Operating speeds on suburban arterial curves.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 89–96.
Gong, H., and Stamatiadis, N. (2008). “Operating speed prediction models for horizontal curves on rural four- lane highways.”, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 1–7.
Harwood, D. W., Torbic, D. J., Richard, K. R., Glauz, W. D., and Elefteriadou, L. (2003). “Review of truck characteristics as factors in roadway design.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Himes, S. C., and Donnell, E. T. (2010). “Speed prediction models for multi-lane highways: A simultaneous equations approach.” J. Transp. Eng., 855–862.
Himes, S. C., Donnell, E. T., and Porter, R. J. (2013). “Posted speed limit: To include or not include in speed prediction models?” Transp. Res. Part A Policy Pract., 52(6), 23–33.
Kennedy, P. (2003). A guide to econometrics, 5th Ed., MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
Krammes, R. A., et al. (1994). “Horizontal alignment design consistency for rural two-lane highways.”, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Lamm, R., Choueiri, E. M., Hayward, J. C., and Paluri, A. (1988). “Possible design procedure to promote design consistency in highway geometric design on two-lane rural roads.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 111–122.
Leisch, J. E., and Leisch, J. P. (1977). “New concepts in design-speed application.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 15–23.
Park, P., and Saccomanno, F. (2005). “Evaluating speed consistency between successive elements of a two-lane rural highway.” Transp. Res. Part A, 40(5), 375–385.
Poe, C. M., and Mason, J. M. (2000). “Analyzing influence of geometric design on operating speeds along low- speed urban streets: Mixed model approach.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 18–25.
Porter, R. J., Mahoney, K. M., and Mason, J. M. (2007). “Seemingly unrelated regression model of car speeds and speed deviations in freeway work zones.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 44–51.
Shankar, V., and Mannering, F. (1998). “Modeling the endogeneity of lane-mean speeds and lane-speed deviations: A structural equations approach.” Transp. Res. Part A, 32(5), 311–322.
Tarris, J., Poe, C., Mason, J. M., and Goulias, K. (1996). “Predicting operating speeds on low-speed urban streets: Regression and panel analysis approaches.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 46–54.
Torbic, D. J., et al. (2013). “Superelevation criteria for sharp horizontal curves on steep grades—Final report.”, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Transportation Research Board (TRB). (2000). “Highway capacity manual.” Washington, DC.
Transportation Research Board (TRB). (2011). “Transportation research E-circular E-C151: Modeling operating speed.” Washington, DC.
Zwahlen, H. (1997). “Driver eye-scanning behavior as function of pavement marking configuration.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 62–72.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 8, 2013
Accepted: May 6, 2014
Published online: Jul 10, 2014
Published in print: Nov 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Dec 10, 2014
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.