Optimizing the Location of U-Turn Median Openings at Signalized Intersections with Multitype Vehicles
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 145, Issue 9
Abstract
The location of a U-turn median opening has an important effect on traffic flow operations for a shared left-turn and U-turn (SLU) lane with traffic signals. It is the first thing to analyze the influences of the arrival modes of multitype vehicles on the traffic delay for an SLU lane. Two models are then formulated to calculate the loss time for the phase used by the concurrent left-turns and U-turns and that used by the concurrent through and U-turns. To seek the optimal location of a U-turn median opening, a single-objective optimization model is developed on the basis of the SLU lane capacity. Six experiments that consider three levels of traffic demand and whether the U-turning volume has an effect on the green splits and the optimal U-turn location are carried out. The results reveal that the optimal location of a U-turn median opening depends on traffic demand and composition, and such a location will approach the stop line if the arrival rate of multitype vehicles decreases or the proportion of U-turn vehicles increases.
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Acknowledgments
This reported research has been funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51578111) and the Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds (Grant No. 2018K118C). The authors thank Xianghui Xu, Wensong Zhang, Meng Long, and Lan Yang for their assistance in simulation modeling and English writing.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 145 • Issue 9 • September 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 12, 2018
Accepted: Feb 15, 2019
Published online: Jul 2, 2019
Published in print: Sep 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Dec 2, 2019
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