Evaluating the sustainable traffic flow operational features of an exclusive spur dike U-turn lane design

Shao, Yang; Han, Xueyan; Wu, Huan; Shan, Huimin; Yang, Sen; Claudel, Christian

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214759

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…A contraflow left-turn lane (CLL),one of unconventional intersections, provides additional left-turn capacity at intersections by dynamically using contraflow exit lanes [20][21][22][23]. As another unconventional intersection, the U-turn (UT) requires left turning vehicles to follow through vehicles crossing the intersection and U-turn at the downstream opening to achieve indirect left turning [24,25]. The UT design reduces the number of phases but increases the travel time of left-turn vehicles.…”

Section: Unconventional Intersectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and Analysis of CFI Schemes with Different Length of Displaced Left-Turn Lanes with Entropy Method

et al. 2021

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As an unconventional design to alleviate the conflict between left-turn and through vehicles, Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) has obvious advantages in improving the sustainability of roadway. So far, the design manuals and guidelines for CFI are not enough sufficient, especially for the displaced left-turn lane length of CFI. And the results of existing research studies are not operational, making it difficult to put CFI into application. To address this issue, this paper presents a methodological procedure for determination and evaluation of displaced left-turn lane length based on the entropy method considering multiple performance measures for sustainable transportation, including traffic efficiency index, environment effect index and fuel consumption. VISSIM and the surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) were used to simulate the operational and safety performance of CFI. The multi-attribute decision-making method (MADM) based on an entropy method was adopted to determine the suitability of the CFI schemes under different traffic demand patterns. Finally, the procedure was applied to a typical congested intersection of the arterial road with heavy traffic volume and high left-turn ratio in Xi’an, China, the results showed the methodological procedure is reasonable and practical. According to the results, for the studied intersection, when the Volume-to-Capacity ratio (V/C) in the westbound and eastbound lanes is less than 0.5, the length of the displaced left-turn lanes can be selected in the range of 80 to 170 m. Otherwise, other solutions should be considered to improve the traffic efficiency. The simulation results of the case showed CFI can significantly improve the traffic efficiency. In the best case, compared with the conventional intersection, the number of vehicles increases by 13%, delay, travel time, number of stops, CO emission, and fuel consumption decrease by 41%, 29%, 25%, 17%, and 17%, respectively.

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Section: Unconventional Intersectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and Analysis of CFI Schemes with Different Length of Displaced Left-Turn Lanes with Entropy Method

et al. 2021

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“…In total, the research team recorded 6 h of traffic data in the field. According to the 2017 Traffic Analysis Reports for Major Cities in China [ 71 ] proposed by AutoNavi Traffic big data, the morning peak appeared from 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m., the evening peak appeared from 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m., and the valley, excluding late night, appeared from 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. [ 20 ]. In addition, a 24-h congestion index in Xi’an on 20181013 was in Figure 6 [ 72 ].…”

Section: Data Collection and Vissim Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Channelization, an exclusive left-turn lane, is popularly implemented for left-turn problems. The set of left-turn lanes depends on the ratio of left-turn vehicles [ 19 , 20 ]. Displaced left-turn intersections that resolve the conflict between left-turn and opposing-through movements at the pre-signal are probably the most extensively used innovative intersection designs [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Signalization and Channelization Selections at Intersections Based on an Entropy Method

Shao

Claudel

2019

Entropy

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Direct left turns (DLTs) could cause traffic slowdown, delay, stops, and even accidents on intersections, especially on no-median roads. Channelization and signalization can significantly diminish negative impact of DLTs. In China, a total of 56 large and medium-sized cities, including 17 provincial capitals, have adopted vehicle restriction policies due to traffic congestion, vehicle energy conservation and emission reduction, which cause travel inconvenience for citizens. This paper mainly studies signalization and channelization selections at intersections based on an entropy method. Based on the commonly used three evaluation indexes, the number of vehicles, CO emissions and fuel consumption have been added. The entropy evaluation method (EEM) method is innovatively used to objectively calculate the weight of the six indexes, which carry out the optimal traffic volume combinations for intersections of present situation, channelization and signalization. A VISSIM simulation is also used to evaluate the operating status of three conditions. The results show that EEM could help enormously in choosing different methods at a certain intersection. With the EEM, six indexes decrease by 20–70% at most.

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“…To alleviate the congestion problem of urban road intersections, many scholars have studied how to improve the efficiency of intersections with different aspects, such as the new geometric form of intersections, signal timing optimization, and new traffic management technologies. Some scholars have studied the performance of the new U-turn intersections [3,4], fan-shaped intersections [5], double-torsional intersections [6], and parallel flow intersections [7]. e different characteristics of various new alternative intersections have also been summarized [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and Analysis Model of the Length of Added Displaced Left-Turn Lane Based on Entropy Evaluation Method

Pan

Ying

Luo

et al. 2021

Journal of Advanced Transportation

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As the number of vehicles continues to grow in China, the problem of urban traffic congestion gets more serious, particularly at intersections. As a new type of unconventional intersection, the displaced left-turn (DLT) intersection has been widely recognized to improve the efficiency of intersections with heavy left-turn traffic flows. Converting an existing intersection into an intersection with additional DLT lanes is a valuable solution. However, the studies on DLT intersections mainly focus on performance, applicability, and safety. The guidelines on the specific engineering design process mostly come from experience, and the study on the considering multifactor design method is still insufficient. Therefore, this paper proposed an evaluation and analysis model of the lengths of added DLT lanes based on the entropy evaluation method, in which VISSIM and Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) software were adopted for simulation. A design process for the length of the added DLT lanes was proposed with this model. An urban intersection in Xi’an was taken as a case study, and the application of the model and the design process was studied in detail. After selecting four evaluation indicators, the model was applied to calculate and analyze the optimal length of the added DLT lanes under 45 different traffic volume combinations. The recommended lengths of different situations were within the range recommended in the guidebook published by Federal Highway Administration. The results of the case study proved that the model proposed in this paper was advanced, reasonable, and practical.

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Evaluating the sustainable traffic flow operational features of an exclusive spur dike U-turn lane design

Cited by 7 publications

References 46 publications

Evaluation and Analysis of CFI Schemes with Different Length of Displaced Left-Turn Lanes with Entropy Method

Evaluation and Analysis of CFI Schemes with Different Length of Displaced Left-Turn Lanes with Entropy Method

Evaluating Signalization and Channelization Selections at Intersections Based on an Entropy Method

Evaluation and Analysis Model of the Length of Added Displaced Left-Turn Lane Based on Entropy Evaluation Method

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