Safety-Based Volume Warrants for Right-Turn Lanes at Unsignalized Intersections and Driveways on Two-Lane Roadways
This article has been corrected.
VIEW CORRECTIONThis article is a reply.
VIEW THE ORIGINAL ARTICLEPublication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 12
Abstract
Safety-based volume warrants for right-turn lanes (RTLs) at uncontrolled major-road approaches to intersections and driveways on two-lane roadways were developed based on traffic crash and conflict analyses. Crash analysis was carried out based on statewide historical data of traffic crashes reported on Minnesota’s two-lane trunk highways. Conflict analysis was carried out using field data and twelve individual VISSIM models involving 350 scenarios to simulate the conflicts caused by right turns for a wide range of conditions. Each scenario involved twenty simulation runs, and each run used a different random seed. Model calibrations involved replication of spot-speed and time-headway distributions observed at field, whereas the model validations involved comparisons between simulated and observed conflicts. Crash-conflict relationships were developed in terms of crash-conflict ratios (CCRs) and crash estimation factors (CEFs). The estimated mean CCRs were and at approaches without and with RTLs, respectively. The values of CEFs, determined as a ratio of CCR to the probability of rear-end/same-direction-sideswipe crashes caused by right-turning vehicles, were between at approaches with RTLs and at approaches without RTLs. The warrant guidelines, in terms of volume thresholds, were established for intersection and driveway approaches separately through benefit-cost analysis. The thresholds for driveway approaches were 10 to 26% lower.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This study was sponsored in part by Mn/DOT, for which the authors are thankful. However, the authors are solely responsible for the research and findings presented in this paper. The authors acknowledge Scott Hagel, Pavan Chevuri, Kubar Hussin, and Joseph Membah for their help with field data collection.
References
AASHTO. (2004). “A policy on geometric design of highways and streets.” Washington, DC.
Ale, G. B., Varma, A., and Gage, B. (2014). “Safety impacts of right-turn lanes at unsignalized intersections and driveways on two-lane roadways: Crash analysis.” J. Transp. Eng., 04013001.
Archer, J. (2005). “Indicators for traffic safety assessment and prediction and their application in micro-simulation modeling: A study of urban and suburban intersections.” Doctoral dissertation, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Campbell, K. L., Joksch, H. C., and Green, P. E. (1996). “A bridging analysis for estimating the benefits of active safety technologies.”, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC.
Chin, H.-C., and Quek, S.-T. (1997). “Measurement of traffic conflicts.” Saf. Sci., 26(3), 169–185.
Cottrell, B. H., Jr. (1981). “The development of criteria for the treatment of right-turn movements on rural roads.”, Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council, Charlottesville, VA.
Crowe, E. C. (1990). “Traffic conflict values for three-leg, unsignalized intersections.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 185–194.
Dowling, R., Skabardonis, A., and Alexiadis, V. (2004). “Traffic analysis. Volume III: Guidelines for applying traffic microsimulation software.”, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Fitzpatrick, K., Schneider, W. H., IV, and Park, E. S. (2006). “Operation and safety of right-turn lane designs.” Proc., Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (CD-ROM), Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Gettman, D., Pu, L., Sayed, T., and Shelby, S. (2008). “Surrogate safety assessment model and validation: Final report.”, Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center, Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA.
Glauz, W. D., Bauer, K. M., and Migletz, D. J. (1985). “Expected traffic conflict rates and their use in predicting accidents.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 1–12.
Glauz, W. D., and Migletz, D. J. (1980). “Application of traffic conflict analysis at intersections.”, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Gluck, J., Levinson, H. S., and Stover, V. (1999). “Impacts of access management techniques.”, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Hadi, M. A., and Thakkar, J. (2003). “Speed differential as a measure to evaluate the need for right-turn deceleration lanes at unsignalized intersections.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 58–65.
Harwood, D. W., et al. (2002). “Safety effectiveness of intersection left- and right-turn lanes.”, Federal Highway Administration, McLean, VA.
Harwood, D. W., Council, F. M., Hauer, E., Hughes, W. E., and Vogt, A. (2000). “Prediction of the expected safety performance of rural two-lane highways.”, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Hasan, T., and Stokes, R. W. (1996). “Guidelines for right-turn treatments at unsignalized intersections and driveways: Final report.”, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS.
Katamine, N. M. (2000). “Nature and frequency of secondary conflicts at unsignalized intersections.” J. Transp. Eng., 129–133.
Kim, D.-G., Washington, S., and Oh, J. (2006). “Modeling crash types: New insights into the effects of covariates on crashes at rural intersections.” J. Transp. Eng., 282–292.
Mauro, R., and Cattani, M. (2004). “Model to evaluate potential accident rate at roundabouts.” J. Transp. Eng., 602–609.
McCoy, P. T., Ataullah, S., and Bonneson, J. A. (1993). “Guidelines for right-turn lanes on urban highways: Final report.”, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.
McCoy, P. T., and Bonneson, J. A. (1996). “Volume warrant for free right-turn lanes at unsignalized intersections on rural two-lane highways.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 83–90.
McGee, H., Taori, S., and Persaud, B. N. (2003). “Crash experience warrant for traffic signals.”, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Neuman, T. R. (1985). “Intersection channelization design guide.”, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Neuman, T. R., et al. (2003). “Guidance for implementation of the AASHTO strategic highway safety plan. Vol. 5: A guide for addressing unsignalized intersection collisions.”, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Office of Investment Management (OIM). (2009). “Benefit-cost analysis for transportation projects.” Minnesota Dept. of Transportation, Saint Paul, MN.
Parker, M. R., Jr., and Zegeer, C. V. (1988). “Traffic conflict techniques for safety and operations—Engineer’s guide.”, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Parker, M. R., Jr., and Zegeer, C. V. (1989). “Traffic conflict techniques for safety and operations—Observers manual.”, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Planung Transport Verkehr AG (PTV). (2007). VISSIM 4.30 user manual, Stumpfstraße 1, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Poch, M., and Mannering, F. (1996). “Negative binomial analysis of intersection-accident frequencies.” J. Transp. Eng., 105–113.
Salman, N. K., and Al-Maita, K. J. (1995). “Safety evaluation at three-leg, unsignalized intersections by traffic conflict technique.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 177–185.
Solomon, D. (1964). “Accidents on main rural highways related to speed, driver, and vehicle.” U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads, Washington, DC.
Transportation Research Board. (2010). “Highway capacity manual.” National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Vogt, A., and Bared, J. (1998). “Accident models for two-lane rural segments and intersections.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 18–29.
Weerasuriya, S. A., and Pietrzyk, M. C. (1998). “Development of expected conflict value tables for unsignalized three-legged intersections.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 121–126.
Wiedemann, R., and Reiter, U. (1992). Microscopic traffic simulation—The simulation system MISSION, Karlsruhe Univ., Germany.
Yang, J. (2008). “Risk-based volume warrants for free right-turn lanes on two-lane roadways.” J. Transp. Eng., 155–162.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 12 • December 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 31, 2013
Accepted: May 28, 2014
Published online: Jul 16, 2014
Published in print: Dec 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Dec 16, 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.