scholarly journals A New Perspective for Saturation Flows at Signalized Intersections

Author(s):  
Yetis Sazi Murat ◽  
Murat Cetin

Saturation flow is one of the fundamental parameter that is used to define the level of service, to assign signal timings and other traffic operations. In the conventional approaches (Highway Capacity Manual, Canadian Capacity Guide etc.) base value is adjusted by the parameters that represent field and traffic conditions. Although the results obtained are acceptable, the adjustment parameters may not reflect the field conditions properly in many countries and does not represent any effects on driver behavior. This paper presents a new formula for saturation flow based on driver behavior and some vehicle characteristics. In this formula, mean length, headway and acceleration rates of vehicles, saturation speeds of intersection and mean reaction time of vehicles in a queue are considered. The formula is tested with field data and compared to the values obtained by the HCM, CCG (Canadian Capacity Guide) and the Akcelik approaches. Based on these comparisons, it is commented that estimation of the new formula is promising.

Author(s):  
Honglong Li ◽  
Panos D. Prevedouros

The analyses conducted in this research were based on three methodologies for the field measurement of saturation headways. The first method (M1), the one on which most past studies were based, measured the characteristics of Vehicles 4 to 12 in a standing queue. M2, the method found in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), counted all vehicles in a standing queue, regardless of queue length. M3 included arrivals that joined the standing queue as long as vehicles were up to 140 ft from the stop line. This study focused on one approach of a high-design intersection with heavy, random arrivals. The large number of observations and the practically ideal traffic conditions enabled the acquisition of several statistically significant results on saturation flow ( s), start-up lost time (SULT), and start-up response time (SRT): ( a) when long queues are present, the typical field measurement of s based on the first 12 vehicles is an overestimate of s for through vehicles and an underestimate of s for protected left-turning vehicles; ( b) the type of movement had a more dominant role in determining s than the level of saturation (or queue length); ( c) SRT displayed a bigger variation than headways— the left-turning movement had a significantly shorter SRT than the through movement did; and ( d) much higher SULTs were estimated in this study compared with those in the HCM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Bing Li ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Yiming Bie ◽  
Bin Sun

Right-turn motorized vehicles turn right using channelized islands, which are used to improve the capacity of intersections. For ease of description, these kinds of right-turn motorized vehicles are called advance right-turn motorized vehicles (ARTMVs) in this paper. The authors analyzed four aspects of traffic conflict involving ARTMVs with other forms of traffic flow. A capacity model of ARTMVs is presented here using shockwave theory and gap acceptance theory. The proposed capacity model was validated by comparison to the results of the observations based on data collected at a single intersection with channelized islands in Kunming, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) model and the VISSIM simulation model. To facilitate engineering applications, the relationship describing the capacity of the ARTMVs with reference to the distance between the conflict zone and the stop line and the relationship describing the capacity of the ARTMVs with reference to the effective red time of the nonmotorized vehicles moving in the same direction were analyzed. The authors compared these results to the capacity of no advance right-turn motorized vehicles (NARTMVs). The results show that the capacity of the ARTMVs is more sensitive to the changes in the arrival rate of nonmotorized vehicles when the arrival rate of the nonmotorized vehicles is 500  (veh/h)~2000  (veh/h) than when the arrival rate is some other value. In addition, the capacity of NARTMVs is greater than the capacity of ARTMVs when the nonmotorized vehicles have a higher arrival rate.


2015 ◽  
Vol 776 ◽  
pp. 95-100
Author(s):  
I. Gusti Raka Purbanto

Motorcycle dominates traffic in Bali, particularly in urban roads, which occupy more than 85% of mode share. The three types of vehicles, i.e. motorcycles, heavy and light vehicles share the roadways together. Under mixed traffic conditions, motorcycle may be travelling in between and alongside two consecutive motor vehicles. Considering such a situation, passenger car equivalent values should be examined thoroughly. This study aims to determine passenger car equivalent (PCEs) of motorcycle at mid-block of Sesetan Road. Three approaches are used to examine the PCEs values. This study found that the PCE of motorcycles are in a range between 0.2 and 0.4. This values are about the same to the existing PCE of the Indonesian Highway Capacity Manual (1997). This study also pointed out that motorcyclists and car drivers may behave differently to the existence of motorcycles. Car drivers are more aware than motorcyclists on the existence of motorcycle on the road. Further, more samples are required to obtain comprehensive results. In addition, the presence of heavy vehicles need to be considered for future study.


Author(s):  
Alan J. Horowitz

The original 1985 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM85) described widely recognized relationships for traffic delay that could be incorporated into travel forecasts. Applications of the HCM85 procedures demonstrated that such delay relationships were both technically feasible and beneficial. In early 1995, the Transportation Research Board released the 1994 update to the HCM (HCM94), heavily revising the signalized and two-way stop intersection procedures and introducing a detailed all-way stop intersection procedure. These new procedures have the potential to improve the accuracy of forecasts and to make forecasts consistent with other design practices. Implementation of the HCM94 procedures into travel forecasts reveals that fewer adjustments are required to make them work within equilibrium traffic assignments. The two-way stop procedure can be used nearly intact. The signalized intersection procedure, although still requiring some adjustments, allows a greater range of traffic conditions and phasing options. The all-way stop procedure cannot be incorporated into travel forecasts because of its restrictions on allowable volumes and turning movements. Tests of the HCM94 procedures in traffic assignments indicate that they produce noticeably different results (both volumes and link delays) than the original HCM85 procedures. Multiple equilibrium solutions are possible, but the differences between these solutions are small and manageable.


Author(s):  
G. A. Glannopoulos ◽  
Muhammad A. S. Mustafa

The operation of shared lanes, especially in the case of permitted phasing control, is still considered a complicated task and one for which many procedures and methods have been introduced. Dealt with here is the complexity when left- or right-turn movements or both are made during the unsaturated part of the opposing traffic flow. Three main methods used for estimating the shared lane's saturation flow rate and capacity values—that used in the 1985 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) and the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and the Canadian methods—were analyzed and evaluated. The methodology for the comparative evaluation was based on two main approaches. In the first approach, example 1 of Chapter 9 of the HCM was used as a case study in which left through and left through right shared lanes exist in permitted phase control. In this case several computer runs were performed using the programs SIDRA and SINTRAL to estimate saturation flow and capacity values of the shared lanes opposed by different traffic volumes of the conflicting movements. Results of this approach showed that the 1985 HCM and ARRB methods are fairly close in estimating saturation flow and capacity, whereas the Canadian method gave considerably different results. Analysis showed that the sensitivity of the Canadian method to estimate saturation flow rates of the shared lane in cases of different levels of opposing traffic was an average of 10 times higher than the average of the two other methods, which were very close in their estimation of levels of opposing traffic volumes. In the second approach, field measurements of saturation flow rate values of shared lanes at different locations and operational conditions were compared with the values estimated by the three methods under the same conditions. Results, based on field observations, revealed that the Canadian method estimates of saturation flow were always lower than the measured values. At low saturation flow values, HCM estimates were slightly higher than the observed values; however, at higher saturation flow rate values. HCM estimates closely matched the observed ones. The ARRB method estimates were quite close to the observed saturation flow values under all of the different conditions considered in the field observation task.


2018 ◽  
Vol 181 ◽  
pp. 06006
Author(s):  
Najid

Value of Passenger Car Unit or commonly known as PCU value is a value that is given to any vehicle that is classified into heavy vehicles, light vehicles (passenger car) and motorcycles. The value of passenger car unit on Indonesia Highway Capacity Manual (IHCM) set up in 1997 is based on a study conducted from 1980-1990 in several cities in Indonesia At the time of the study, the traffic conditions are very different to the current traffic conditions. That affects of difference traffic conditions are the composition of traffic, traffic regulations, traffic density, traffic discipline and the presence of mass transit, so that the results of traffic analysis do not always correspond to reality as there are anomalies in the determination of the level of road service (Najid, 2014). As well the incompatibility of the capacity value which is considered due to the incompatibility value of Passenger Car Units (PCU). Evaluation PCU become very important to get the value of traffic parameters into compliance with actually occur. In accordance with the traffic density is higher actually, then it is necessary to study for evaluation against PCU current value and the need to approach or to get the value of PCU more in line with current traffic conditions. Data collected at two cities, those are Bandung and Semarang. Based on analysis found PCU’s value that got from survey have difference but not all significantly with PCU value in IHCM.


Author(s):  
Rahim F. Benekohal ◽  
Sang-Ock Kim

For oversaturated traffic conditions, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) does not apply a progression adjustment factor to the delay model for signalized intersections when there is an initial queue. This causes counterintuitive results in the calculation of delay; for some cases, delay for a nonzero initial queue condition ends up being less than the delay with zero initial queue conditions. Also, for oversaturated traffic conditions, the delay model in the 2000 edition of HCM yields the same uniform delay values for all arrival types when there is an initial queue. This does not seem reasonable because it ignores the effect of platooning on delay. This paper introduces a new approach for computing uniform delay for oversaturated traffic conditions when progression is poor. This approach directly considers the platooning effects in delay and thus eliminates the need to apply a progression adjustment factor. The proposed model is applicable whether there is an initial queue or not. The approach was validated by a comparison of the control delays obtained from a CORSIM simulation to the delays from the proposed model. Validation procedures were conducted on the basis of zero and nonzero initial queue conditions. The proposed approach resulted in more accurate delay values than the HCM model.


1997 ◽  
Vol 1572 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roelof J. Engelbrecht ◽  
Daniel B. Fambro ◽  
Nagui M. Rouphail ◽  
Aladdin A. Barkawi

With today’s ever-increasing traffic demand, more and more signalized intersections are experiencing congestion for longer periods of time. To better quantify oversaturated conditions, it is necessary to accurately estimate oversaturation delay. The generalized delay model, proposed for inclusion in the next update of the U.S. Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), is introduced here. The generalized delay model differs from the model in the 1994 edition of the HCM as it is sensitive to the duration of the analysis period and is not restricted to degrees of saturation less than 1.2. The TRAF-NETSIM microscopic simulation model was used to verify the generalized delay equation for oversaturated conditions. A simulation model was used, because it is extremely difficult to measure oversaturated delay in the field. The study was designed to cover as much of the domain of oversaturated traffic operations as possible. The variability in simulated delays was investigated, and an equation was developed to predict the standard deviation of oversaturated delay estimates. It was found that delays estimated by the proposed generalized delay model are in close agreement with those simulated by TRAF-NETSIM. On average, simulated delays are overestimated slightly, but the error is small compared with actual delays. The proposed generalized delay model is expected to provide a good estimate of actual oversaturation delays that occur in the field.


Author(s):  
D. Patrick Allen ◽  
Joseph E. Hummer ◽  
Nagui M. Rouphail ◽  
Joseph S. Milazzo

Although much is known about the operation of signalized intersections, little or no empirical research has been conducted regarding the effect of bicycles on signalized intersection capacity. The purpose of this study was to accurately quantify the effects of bicycles on signalized intersection capacity through the videotaping of several intersections that had significant bicycle traffic. Through the videotaping of intersections in Davis, California, and Gainesville, Florida, a relationship was determined between bicycle volumes and the percent of the green phase during which bicycle traffic occupies a conflict zone between bicycles and right-turning motor vehicles. It was also determined that one can ascertain the total net occupancy due to pedestrians and bicycles by taking the overlapping effects between bicycles and pedestrians into account. Using this total occupancy due to bicycles and pedestrians, one can calculate a saturation flow adjustment factor ( fRph) that reflects the reduction in saturation flow, and ultimately lane group capacity, for lane groups containing vehicles making permissive right turns in the presence of bicycles and pedestrians. The proposed procedure yields lower saturation flows and capacities than the current Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) procedure. In other words, on the basis of empirical data, when combined with pedestrian effects, the impact of bicycles on the saturation flow of lane groups containing right-turning vehicles is probably more detrimental than previously believed, and the capacities of intersections with significant bicycle and pedestrian traffic may be overestimated by using the current HCM procedures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198
Author(s):  
I.N. Usanga ◽  
R.K. Etim

This study involves understanding the effect of tricycles on saturation flow rate at signalized intersections. The goal is to show that intersection dominated by tricycle experience congestion especially at peak periods (morning and evening). This was done by collecting vehicular traffic data, signal timing and geometric data from five (5) signalized intersections at ten (10) cycles. The period covered October, 2015 to June, 2016 for four working days of the week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), between the hours of 7:30 am–9:30 am and 4:30 pm– 6:30 pm. The duration of data collected covered both rainy and dry seasons. Average vehicular departure time during green time was determined and saturation flow obtained through field measurement by the ratio of average vehicular departure time to green time. Highway Capacity Manual method was also used to obtain saturation flow at each study approach. Saturation flow obtained through field measurement and Highway Capacity Manual were compared using independent t-test having t-value of 4.239 and P-value of 0.000 at 20 degree of freedom were obtained. The analysis indicated that P-value is less than 0.05, hence the mean of Highway Capacity Manual 2000 Model (5918.60) was significantly higher than the field measurement (4687.50). The result indicated that the increasing rate of tricycle with non-lane discipline causes congestion at signalized intersection. The findings suggest that the widely used Highway Capacity Manual is not appropriate for determining saturation flow for a mixed traffic with increasing rate of tricycle coupled with non-lane discipline traffic condition. From the analysis, it is recommended that Government should give priority to use of buses as a means of mass transit system so that it can accommodate more commuters than tricycle.


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