Larger size vehicles (LSVs), comprising semis and six-wheelers drive higher and wider than passenger cars which could affect the visibility of traffic lights for the following passenger car driver at signalized intersections. This paper investigates the contribution of LSVs to red light running resulting from vertical visibility blockage based on a driving simulator experiment. Three sub-scenarios were developed in the driving simulator. The first sub-scenario served as a base sub-scenario, where the simulator car follows a passenger car. The second sub-scenario served as the test sub-scenario, where the simulator car tracks an LSV. The results obtained by comparing the sub-scenarios confirmed that LSVs generate higher red light running rate at signalized intersections due to vertical visibility blockage. The third sub-scenario (or suggested solution sub-scenario) tested a suggested solution by the Federal Highway Administration for the vertical visibility blockage issue, which consists of installing an additional signal pole on the right side of the road. The comparison between the test sub-scenario and the suggested solution sub-scenario demonstrated that the addition of a signal pole on the right side of the road decreases red light running resulting from vertical visibility blockage significantly. (A) Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
Samenvatting