Dynamic Straight-Right Lane Design and Signal Control at Urban Intersections
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149, Issue 10
Abstract
As a key node in the urban road network, the operational efficiency of urban signal intersections directly affects the general operational efficiency of road network traffic. To improve the general efficiency of the intersection considering road dimensions, site red lines, and other constraints, some signalized intersections often use a straight-right lane or a dedicated right-turn lane to right-turn vehicles in the far right lane of the entrance lane. A straight-right lane will improve the efficiency of straight-through traffic during a green light; however, straight-through vehicle will prevent right-turn vehicles from crossing the intersection. A dedicated right-turn lane will reduce delays for right-turn vehicles; however, it will not improve the efficiency of straight-through traffic. To address these issues, this paper took the basic idea of spatial and temporal separation of straight-right and right-turn vehicles on the straight-right lane as the basis for designing a dynamic straight-right lane (DSRL) organization form, and for researching key design parameters and supporting control strategies. Using hydrodynamic analogy theory, the delays of the DSRL design were compared with those of the static straight-right lane design and the dedicated right-turn lane design, the relationship between each key design parameter and vehicle delays was analyzed, and sensitivity analysis under different traffic environments was conducted. This paper presents the basic concept of DSRL design, discusses and researches its important components, and developed new ideas and methods for the design with supporting control of straight-right lanes at urban intersections.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (Grant No. 20ZR1422300), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2020M671173), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 71801153 and 71801149). Shanghai Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Projects (Grant Nos. XJ2023160 and SH2023078)
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 149 • Issue 10 • October 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 17, 2022
Accepted: Jun 9, 2023
Published online: Jul 31, 2023
Published in print: Oct 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 31, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Highway and road design
- Highway and road management
- Highway transportation
- Highways and roads
- Infrastructure
- Intersections
- Sensitivity analysis
- Traffic delay
- Traffic engineering
- Traffic management
- Traffic signals
- Transportation engineering
- Urban and regional development
- Urban areas
- Vehicles
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