00740615

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/1572-05

http://scholar.google.com...sula&publication_year=1997

The traffic-flow characteristics on an experimental, 20-km-long three-lane highway section in Finland were studied. The sections of highway that have a separate passing lane consist of three lanes. The central lane is assigned alternately to each direction as a passing lane with a length of 1.05 to 1.70 km. The lengths of the no-overtaking zones between successive passing lanes are 1.5 to 4.0 km. The traffic-flow characteristics on the three-lane highway have been observed by comprehensive before-and-after field studies and complementary simulations. Because it was possible to use passing lanes, the number of overtakings on the three-lane highway was remarkably higher than on the former two-lane highway. The overall average travel speeds were slightly higher, and the speed decreased a little more slowly with increasing flow on the three-lane compared with the two-lane highway. Overall platooning and mean platoon lengths decreased as a result of platoon dispersal on the passing lanes. The speeds used in the passing lanes were clearly higher than in the basic lanes. According to the simulation results, the optimum length for a single passing lane was between 0.5 and 2.5 km depending on flow rate and measure of effectiveness. For the actual three-lane highway conditions, passing lanes 1.0 to 1.5 km long seemed to bring the most benefits.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1572, Highway Capacity Issues and Analysis.

English

p. 33-42

1997

Transportation Research Record

0309061504

Figures (6) ; References (15)

Before and after studies; Field studies; Length; Passing; Passing lanes; Three lane highways; Traffic flow; Traffic platooning; Traffic simulation; Traffic speed

Finland

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Sep 4 1997 12:00AM

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