title: Driving simulator evaluation of drivers' response to intersections with dynamic use of exit-lanes for left-turn.
abstract: With the worsening of urban traffic congestion in large cities around the world, researchers have been looking for unconventional designs and/or controls to squeeze more capacity out of intersections, the most common bottlenecks of the road network. One of these innovative intersection designs, known as the exit-lanes for left-turn (EFL), opens up exit-lanes to be used by left-turn traffic with the help of an additional traffic light installed at the median opening (the pre-signal). This paper studies how drivers respond to EFL intersections with a series of driving simulator experiments. In our experiments, 64 drivers were recruited and divided into two groups. One group is trained to use the EFL while the other group is not. In addition, four scenarios were considered with different sign and marking designs and traffic conditions in the experiments. Results indicate that drivers show certain amount of confusion and hesitation when encountering an EFL intersection for the first time. They can be overcome, however, by increasing exposure through driver education or by cue provided from other vehicles. Moreover, drivers unfamiliar with EFL operation can make a left turn using the conventional left-turn lanes as usual. The EFL operation is not likely to pose any serious safety risk of the intersection in real life operations.
authors.affiliation: Business School, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai, PR China. Electronic address: jing_zhao_traffic@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 4800 Cao'an Road, Shanghai, PR China. Electronic address: yunmp@tongji.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Meiping
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, USA. Electronic address: hmzhang@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: H Michael
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 4800 Cao'an Road, Shanghai, PR China. Electronic address: yangxg@tongji.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Driver behavior; Driving simulator; Intersections with exit-lanes for left-turn use; Unconventional design