Driver Behavior When Overtaking Cyclists Riding in Different Group Configurations on Two-Lane Rural Roads

The presence of cyclists on Spanish rural roads is ever increasing and currently frequent, and thus becoming a serious safety concern. In rural environments, the risk of a crash is higher than in rural areas. The main cause is the higher speed of motor vehicles during overtaking manoeuvres. This manoeuvre is especially challenging when cyclists ride in groups as they may change size, length, shape, and speed along their route. These variables and those related to road cross-section can influence driver behaviour when overtaking a group of cyclists. To study this, instrumented bicycles were used to ride along five road segments with different geometric and traffic characteristics. Cyclists rode individually and in groups. Overtaking was evaluated by analysing the lateral distance, the speed, and other characteristics of the manoeuvre. Wider roads presented higher lateral clearances and overtaking speeds. Narrower roads had a high opposing lane invasion but a high level of compliance with the minimum lateral clearance. A higher clearance and lower speed of overtaking vehicles was registered when cyclists rode in line. Compliance with the 1.5 m clearance depended on the group configuration, being higher when cyclists rode in line. However, overtaking cyclists riding two abreast presented more accelerative manoeuvres, especially on narrow roads.

Obstacle Avoidance Path Planning for Worm-like Robot Using Bézier Curve

Worm-like robots have demonstrated great potential in navigating through environments requiring body shape deformation. Some examples include navigating within a network of pipes, crawling through rubble for search and rescue operations, and medical applications such as endoscopy and colonoscopy. In this work, we developed path planning optimization techniques and obstacle avoidance algorithms for the peristaltic method of locomotion of worm-like robots. Based on our previous path generation study using a modified rapidly exploring random tree (RRT), we have further introduced the Bézier curve to allow more path optimization flexibility. Using Bézier curves, the path planner can explore more areas and gain more flexibility to make the path smoother. We have calculated the obstacle avoidance limitations during turning tests for a six-segment robot with the developed path planning algorithm. Based on the results of our robot simulation, we determined a safe turning clearance distance with a six-body diameter between the robot and the obstacles. When the clearance is less than this value, additional methods such as backward locomotion may need to be applied for paths with high obstacle offset. Furthermore, for a worm-like robot, the paths of subsequent segments will be slightly different than the path of the head segment. Here, we show that as the number of segments increases, the differences between the head path and tail path increase, necessitating greater lateral clearance margins.

Providing of lateral clearance in tooth gears by additional displacement of the original contour

A method of multicriteria optimization of gearing with the use of the Kompas-3D program for calculating the degrees of correction of the lateral clearance in the tooth gear is proposed. The recommendations (GOST 16532—70, Appendix 2) on the selection of the degrees of correction of the gear wheels of cylindrical gears are analyzed, the necessary corrections are proposed. Keywords: tooth gear, lateral clearance, degree of correction, multicriteria optimization method, Kompas-3D program, blocking contournhanthong [email protected]

Reliability of stopping and decision sight distance at roundabouts

The existing Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) and Decision Sight Distance (DSD) design methods for roundabouts are deterministic. This means that all of the design variables are predetermined, fixed values. This study presents a probabilistic method for the determination of SSD and DSD at roundabouts based on the equation recommended by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO 2011). The reliability-based method considers all design parameters as random variables. Three types of SSD (SSD for approaches, SSD along the circulatory lane, and SSD for exiting vehicles to the pedestrian crosswalk) were considered in this study. DSD was considered for roundabout approaches. The First-Order Second-Moment and Advanced First-Order Second-Moment methods were used to model SSD and DSD. Once the required SSD and DSD were determined, the lateral clearance requirements at every point of the roundabout were calculated.

Reliability of stopping and decision sight distance at roundabouts

The existing Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) and Decision Sight Distance (DSD) design methods for roundabouts are deterministic. This means that all of the design variables are predetermined, fixed values. This study presents a probabilistic method for the determination of SSD and DSD at roundabouts based on the equation recommended by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO 2011). The reliability-based method considers all design parameters as random variables. Three types of SSD (SSD for approaches, SSD along the circulatory lane, and SSD for exiting vehicles to the pedestrian crosswalk) were considered in this study. DSD was considered for roundabout approaches. The First-Order Second-Moment and Advanced First-Order Second-Moment methods were used to model SSD and DSD. Once the required SSD and DSD were determined, the lateral clearance requirements at every point of the roundabout were calculated.

Interactive Influence Analysis of Tunnel Lateral Clearance on Driving Behavior Using Expressway Field Data

Changes in lateral clearance are prone to drastic changes in the driving environment at the entrance and exit of the tunnel, which can cause a driver to become psychologically stressed and deviate from the center of a lane, thus creating a greater security risk. However, most of the existing regulations and studies only focus on the horizontal and vertical alignment of the tunnel entrances and exits, and there are few studies on the influence of lateral clearance on driving behavior. This study hired 15 random subjects to conduct real vehicle tests in eight tunnels on expressways with 3 design speeds by using a CAN-OBD analyzer and steering wheel angle meter. First, in five lateral clearance variation schemes, different speed characteristic indicators and steering wheel angles were selected as the indicators of driving behavior. Second, the interactive influence of the design speed, lateral clearance, operating speed, steering wheel angle, and other indicators were analyzed. Finally, paired t-test analysis and Wilcoxon and Friedman nonparametric tests were used to compare the differences in various indicators among different lateral clearance schemes. The results showed that when the left lateral clearance is 1.5 meters, the operating speed is increased by 3.9%, while the standard deviation of speed is small, and the driving performance is higher. When the right lateral clearance is 1.75 and 2.00 meters, the operating speed is not much different. However, the latter’s speed standard deviation is smaller. By contrast, when the right lateral clearance is up to 2.25 m, the operating speed increases by 3.7%. However, the speed standard deviation also increases. Different lateral clearances have little effect on the steering wheel angle. The operating speed on the right side is higher and more stable when the design speed is 100 km/h. This study provides scientific suggestions for the setting of the lateral clearance of the tunnels.

Intersection Sight Distance Characteristics of Turbo Roundabouts

A turbo roundabout uses spiral circulatory roads for effectively counteracting the problems faced in modern multilane roundabouts. First developed in 1996, the turbo roundabout has an advantage over the conventional roundabout regarding capacity and safety. Turbo roundabouts are still in the developing phase in North America, but even in the European subcontinent where they exist in large numbers, reliable analytical studies on the critical parameters of roundabout visibility are lacking. Visibility (sight distance) helps to shape the geometry of the intersection and aids in safety. This paper presents the mathematical characteristics of the intersection geometry and intersection sight distance (ISD) of the turbo roundabout. Mathematical formulas are presented for the sight distance from the approaching vehicle to the conflicting-entering and circulating vehicles. The maximum lateral clearances to the conflicting vehicles are derived using mathematical optimization. The developed analytical method is verified graphically using AutoCAD. To assist in practical applications, design aids for the maximum lateral clearance are presented. The presented method and design aids should aid in promoting safety at turbo roundabouts.

Reliability Analysis of Intersection Sight Distance at Roundabouts

This paper presents a reliability-based method for the design of intersection sight distance (ISD) at traffic roundabouts using the linear and nonlinear deceleration profiles of the entry vehicles. The reliability method is based on the first-order second moment method which is simple and relatively accurate compared with advanced methods. The nonlinear deceleration profile includes a shape parameter that produces the linear profile as a special case. Deterministic and reliability-based formulas for the required ISD for an approaching vehicle are developed for the entry vehicle on the left and the vehicle on the circulating roadway. Then, the design values of the ISD legs, applicable to any type of roundabout, are presented for different probabilities of non-compliance (Pnc) and different coefficients of variations. For the special case of single-lane symmetrical roundabouts, which have a well-defined geometry, the lateral clearance needs are established. The sensitivity analysis shows that ISD is very sensitive to both the mean and variance of the critical headway. The results show that the deterministic method results in ISD values that correspond to a very small Pnc, indicating that the method is very conservative. The proposed method, which provides flexibility in selecting ISD for any given Pnc, should be of interest to highway designers and practitioners to promote roundabout safety.

Evaluating Lateral Interactions of Motorized Two-Wheelers using Multi-Gene Symbolic Genetic Programming

Complex maneuvering patterns are typical of motorized two-wheelers (MTWs), and their widespread adoption in many countries has spurred a growing response from transport researchers to model their dynamic behavior realistically. Considering the increased vulnerability of MTW drivers in dense urban mixed traffic systems, proper evaluation and modeling of lateral interactions between the drivers/riders moving abreast need to be addressed. A proper investigation can essentially help in understanding the behavioral aspects of riders in accepting shorter lateral clearances, design of exclusive motorcycle lanes, improved reliability of microsimulation models, and safety evaluation of the riders in a cognitive architecture. The current study therefore attempts to develop a novel symbolic regression model using a multigene genetic programming algorithm to generate and evaluate lateral clearance models naturally from field data for MTW interactions at mid-block sections, data being collected using video recorders. A binary logit model is initially developed to investigate the factors associated with the riders’ decisions to accept critical lateral clearances. Considering highly non-linear variations in data, the symbolic regression models were further developed and a comparison with the existing linear regression based lateral clearance models indicated that the symbolic model could generalize the non-linear structure of the data realistically and performed significantly better than the existing models.