scholarly journals Integration of a driving simulator and a traffic simulator case study: Exploring drivers' behavior in response to variable message signs

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 164-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansoureh Jeihani ◽  
Shiva NarooieNezhad ◽  
Kaveh Bakhsh Kelarestaghi
Keyword(s):  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Message Signs

scholarly journals Improved Road Safety at Work Zones using Advanced Traveler Information Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Suhail Almallah ◽  
Qinaat Hussain ◽  
Wael K. M Alhajyaseen ◽  
Tom Brijs
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Treatment Scenario ◽  
Lane Changing ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Message Signs

Work zones are road sections where road construction or maintenance activities take place. These work zones usually have different alignment and furniture than the original road and thus temporary lower speeds are adopted at these locations. However, drivers usually face difficulty in adopting the new speed limit and maneuvering safely due to the change in alignment. Therefore, work zones are commonly considered as hazardous locations with higher crash rates and severities as reported in the literature. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a variable message signs (VMSs) based system for work zone advance warning area. The proposed system aims at enhancing driver adaptation of the reduced speed limit, encourage early lane changing maneuvers and improve the cooperative driving behavior in the pre-work zone road section. The study was conducted using a driving simulator at the College of Engineering of Qatar University. Seventy volunteers holding a valid Qatari passenger car driving license participated in this study. In the simulator experiment, we have two scenarios (control and treatment). The control scenario was designed based on the Qatar Work Zone Traffic Management Guide (QWZTMG), where the length of the advance warning area is 1000 m. Meanwhile, the treatment scenario contains six newly designed variable message signs where two of them were animation-based. The VMSs were placed at the same locations of the static signs in the control scenario. Both scenarios were tested for two situations. In the first situation, the participants were asked to drive on the left lane while in the second situation, they were instructed to drive on the second lane. The study results showed that the proposed system was effective in motivating drivers to reduce their traveling speed in advance. Compared to the control scenario, drivers’ mean speed was significantly 6.3 and 11.1 kph lower in the VMS scenario in the first and second situations, respectively. Furthermore, the VMS scenario encouraged early lane changing maneuvers. In the VMS scenario, drivers changed their lanes in advance by 150 m compared to the control scenario. In addition, the proposed system was effective in motivating drivers to keep larger headways with the frontal merging vehicle. Taking into account the results from this study, we recommend the proposed VMS based system as a potentially effective treatment to improve traffic safety at work zones.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Variable Message Signs on Driving Behavior Based on a Driving Simulation Experiment

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuedong Yan ◽  
Jiawei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Simulation Experiment ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Driving Behavior ◽  
Driving Simulation ◽  
Traffic Information ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Information Format ◽  
Message Signs

Variable message signs (VMSs), as one of the important ITS devices, provide real-time traffic information of road network to drivers in order to improve route choice and relieve the traffic congestion. In this study, the effectiveness of VMS on driving behavior was tested based on a driving simulation experiment. A road network with three levels of VMS location to route-diverging intersection and three types of VMS information format was designed in a high fidelity driving simulator platform. Fifty-two subjects who were classified by driver age, gender, and vocation successfully completed this experiment. The experimental results showed that driver characteristics, VMS location, and information format profoundly influence driving behaviors. Based on the research findings, it is suggested that VMS would be positioned between 150 m and 200 m upstream of the diverging point to balance the VMS effects on traffic safety and operation and the graphic information VMS format is better than the format with text massage only.

Microsimulation Analysis of Highway-Rail Grade Crossings: A Case Study in Lincoln, Nebraska

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence R. Rilett ◽  
Justice Appiah
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategy ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Microscopic Traffic Simulation ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Driver Response ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Grade Crossings ◽  
Message Signs ◽  
Different Levels

This paper examines the usefulness of supplementing railroad preemption operations at highway-rail grade crossings with variable message signs. Using the microscopic traffic simulation model, VISSIM, the effects on grade crossing operations of different train dwell times as well as different levels of driver response to a variable message sign in the vicinity of the crossing are assessed. The results affirm the potential usefulness of variable message signs for preventing lengthy queues and illustrate the importance of explicitly considering the delay experienced by vehicles on the blocked roadway in developing a traffic control strategy for highway-rail grade crossings.

Data-Based Sorting Algorithm for Variable Message Sign Location: Case Study of Beijing

2017 ◽  
Vol 2645 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingfeng Si ◽  
Zhengbing He ◽  
Xiaobao Yang ◽  
Ziyou Gao
Keyword(s):  
Transportation Network ◽  
Traffic Information ◽  
Sorting Algorithm ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Traffic Data ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Urban Road ◽  
Message Signs ◽  
Beijing China

Variable message signs (VMSs) provide important traffic information to help drivers travel better on a transportation network. The effectiveness of VMSs largely depends on the numbers and locations of VMSs in a transportation network. Although a few optimization models have been proposed to find candidate roads for locating VMSs, few have been devoted to developing algorithms that can be used in a real transportation network. A large amount of traffic data, such as traffic flow data, is widely available, collected by various means. Based on those traffic data, a sorting algorithm for a VMS location problem is presented in this paper. The algorithm gave a VMS location order rather than a location set. The proposed method divided roads into categories according to multilevel attributes and preferentially selected roads of a higher class with larger flows and more information and the minimal effect of existing VMS in a certain order to locate VMS. The proposed algorithm was analyzed and verified through a practical case on the Beijing, China, urban road network.

scholarly journals Analysis of Parking Reliability Guidance of Urban Parking Variable Message Sign System

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Mei ◽  
Ye Tian ◽  
Dongping Li
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Central City ◽  
Reliability Model ◽  
Variable Message Signs ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Car Park ◽  
Quantitative Changes ◽  
Message Signs ◽  
Urban Parking

Operators of parking guidance and information systems (PGIS) often encounter difficulty in determining when and how to provide reliable car park availability information to drivers. Reliability has become a key factor to ensure the benefits of urban PGIS. The present paper is the first to define the guiding parking reliability of urban parking variable message signs (VMSs). By analyzing the parking choice under guiding and optional parking lots, a guiding parking reliability model was constructed. A mathematical program was formulated to determine the guiding parking reliability of VMS. The procedures were applied to a numerical example, and the factors that affect guiding reliability were analyzed. The quantitative changes of the parking berths and the display conditions of VMS were found to be the most important factors influencing guiding reliability. The parking guiding VMS achieved the best benefit when the parking supply was close to or was less than the demand. The combination of a guiding parking reliability model and parking choice behavior offers potential for PGIS operators to reduce traffic congestion in central city areas.

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