The performance of uncontrolled merges using a limited priority process.

The performance of unsignalised intersections has long been an area of research and interest. The typical methods of gap acceptance do not always apply and there is a need to establish other approaches. The assumption that the major stream vehicles have priority over the minor stream is not always the case and, this assumption has been relaxed in this paper. This process is called a limited priority system and its applications are extensive with the behaviour being recorded at roundabouts, freeways and expected to be other unsignalised intersections where the relative speeds are low. This approach provides a useful method of simulating driver interactions and the approach can be used to simulate the behaviour of roundabouts to conform to the linear relations developed in the UK. This paper establishes the theory for the equations for capacity, or the maximum throughput, and the delay to the major stream vehicles. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract No. E208120.