Analysis of Intersection Site-Specific Characteristics for Type II Dilemma Zone Determination
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 147, Issue 10
Abstract
Dilemma zone could be an effective surrogate safety measure of a signalized intersection because its length and location are significantly correlated with right-angle and rear-end conflicts and vary from one site to another. Two popular methods, Zegeer’s method and time-temperature indicator (TTI) based method, are available in transportation literature to quantify Type II dilemma zones. The existing methods, however, have limitations to quantify the dilemma zone because the former requires extensive data collection and analysis efforts, and the latter is solely dependent on a single variable (i.e., speed). The objective of the present study is to develop effective methods of quantifying Type II dilemma zones using important site-specific characteristics of signalized intersections (e.g., the operating speed, the approach grade, and the amount of truck traffic). The present study also seeks to address the methodological shortcoming of the TTI-based method. Driver behavior at 46 high-speed signalized intersection approaches where the posted speed limit is 80.47 km/h () or higher was analyzed to see if there is a relationship between the dilemma zone and the intersection site-specific characteristics. The results show that the approach grade, the operating speed, and the amount of truck traffic at the signalized intersection have strong correlations with the dilemma zone. It was also found that the dilemma zone length is longer, and its location is farther from the stop bar if the approach grade is the steeper (toward negative values), if the operating speed is higher, or if more truck traffic operates at the intersection approach. The developed models were compared with the TTI-based method, which uses 2.5 and of the travel time to the intersection stop bar (TTI) to determine the dilemma zone start and endpoints. The analysis showed that the developed site-specific dilemma zone models outperform the TTI-based method and well fit the observed data with pseudo and value .
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows. Study conception and design: Min-Wook Kang; funding acquisition and administration: Min-Wook Kang; framework development: Min-Wook Kang and Moynur Rahman; draft manuscript preparation: Moynur Rahman and Min-Wook Kang; and data collection and analysis: Moynur Rahman and Min-Wook Kang. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was partially supported by the Alabama Department of Transportation (Grant No. 930-937).
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions as well as the facts and the accuracy of data presented in this paper are solely based on the views and opinions of the authors. This paper does not necessarily reflect the purpose and policies of the Alabama Department of Transportation.
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Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 147 • Issue 10 • October 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 12, 2020
Accepted: May 13, 2021
Published online: Aug 10, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jan 10, 2022
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