Investigation of Influential Variables to Predict Passing Rate at Short Passing Zones on Two-Lane Rural Highways
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146, Issue 10
Abstract
The passing zone (PZ) is that part of two-lane highways in which drivers can safely overtake slower vehicles. Several studies have presented passing rate models in the PZ. However, there is no model to predict the passing rate in PZs shorter than 350 m. Furthermore, the effect of variables such as lane width and the proportion of motorcycles on the passing rate were not investigated in previous works. This study assessed the effects of these variables on the passing rate and presents a prediction passing model for short PZs. Data were collected from seven PZs using a drone on three different two-lane rural highway segments in Iran. The results showed that the passing rate depends on the lane width, the absolute vertical grade, the flow rate in both directions, the directional split, the proportion of heavy vehicles in the subject direction, and the proportion of motorcycles in the subject direction. Short PZ length values did not have a significant effect on the passing rate. The passing capacity occurred at a flow rate of in both directions irrespective of the directional split.
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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. Items include the following:
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The count data of passing maneuvers.
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Aggregate traffic-related variables: Flow rate, directional spit, speed of vehicles, proportion of heavy vehicles.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by Tarbiat Modares University.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146 • Issue 10 • October 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 28, 2019
Accepted: Jun 2, 2020
Published online: Aug 3, 2020
Published in print: Oct 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jan 3, 2021
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