Reliability Analysis of Left-Turn Sight Distance at Signalized Intersections
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 3
Abstract
The current method for the analysis of sight distance for left-turn vehicles at signalized intersections assumes that all component variables are deterministic. This paper presents a probabilistic approach based on such random variables as major-road speed, time gap required for left-turn vehicle, vehicle width, lateral position of left-turn vehicle, distance between driver eye of left-turn vehicle and its front, and lateral and longitudinal positions of positioned opposing left-turn vehicle. A safety margin is defined as the difference between available and required sight distances. Relationships for the mean and standard deviation of the safety margin were developed using the first-order second-moment (FOSM) method. This method identifies the offset (distance between left edge of the left-turn lane and right edge of the opposing left-turn lane) at signalized intersections for a desired probability of noncompliance based on intersection and traffic characteristics. The proposed reliability method was validated using Monte Carlo simulation, and design graphs were established. The results show that the deterministic method provides very conservative offsets and that the offset is most sensitive to vehicle width and lateral distance-related variables and less sensitive to longitudinal distance-related variables.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their most helpful comments. This study was financially supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 3 • March 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 2, 2013
Accepted: Oct 5, 2015
Published online: Dec 29, 2015
Published in print: Mar 1, 2016
Discussion open until: May 29, 2016
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