Effect of Changing a Traffic Control Device Color on Driver Behavior and Perception across Different Age Groups

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110111
Author(s):  
Hatem Abou-Senna ◽  
Mohamed El-Agroudy ◽  
Mustapha Mouloua ◽  
Essam Radwan
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Driving Conditions ◽  
And Performance

The use of express lanes (ELs) in freeway traffic management has seen increasing popularity throughout the United States, particularly in Florida. These lanes aim at making the most efficient transportation system management and operations tool to provide a more reliable trip. An important component of ELs is the channelizing devices used to delineate the separation between the ELs and the general-purpose lane. With the upcoming changes to the FHWA Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, this study provided an opportunity to recommend changes affecting safety and efficiency on a nationwide level. It was important to understand the impacts on driver perception and performance in response to the color of the EL delineators. It was also valuable to understand the differences between demographics in responding to delineator colors under different driving conditions. The driving simulator was used to test the responses of several demographic groups to changes in marker color and driving conditions. Furthermore, participants were tested for several factors relevant to driving performance including visual and subjective responses to the changes in colors and driving conditions. Impacts on driver perception were observed via eye-tracking technology with changes to time of day, visibility, traffic density, roadway surface type, and, crucially, color of the delineating devices. The analyses concluded that white was the optimal and most significant color for notice of delineators across the majority of subjective and performance measures, followed by yellow, with black being the least desirable.

scholarly journals Sensitivity Analysis to Define Guidelines for Predictive Control Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (6) ◽  
pp. 385-398
Author(s):  
M. C. Poelman ◽  
A. Hegyi ◽  
A. Verbraeck ◽  
J. W. C. van Lint
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Control System ◽  
Predictive Control ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Prediction Horizon ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
And Performance

Signalized traffic control is important in traffic management to reduce congestion in urban areas. With recent technological developments, more data have become available to the controllers and advanced state estimation and prediction methods have been developed that use these data. To fully benefit from these techniques in the design of signalized traffic controllers, it is important to look at the quality of the estimated and predicted input quantities in relation to the performance of the controllers. Therefore, in this paper, a general framework for sensitivity analysis is proposed, to analyze the effect of erroneous input quantities on the performance of different types of signalized traffic control. The framework is illustrated for predictive control with different adaptivity levels. Experimental relations between the performance of the control system and the prediction horizon are obtained for perfect and erroneous predictions. The results show that prediction improves the performance of a signalized traffic controller, even in most of the cases with erroneous input data. Moreover, controllers with high adaptivity seem to outperform controllers with low adaptivity, under both perfect and erroneous predictions. The outcome of the sensitivity analysis contributes to understanding the relations between information quality and performance of signalized traffic control. In the design phase of a controller, this insight can be used to make choices on the length of the prediction horizon, the level of adaptivity of the controller, the representativeness of the objective of the control system, and the input quantities that need to be estimated and predicted the most accurately.

scholarly journals Impact of Age on Takeover Behavior in Automated Driving in Complex Traffic Situations: A Case Study of Beijing, China

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Jianguo Gong ◽  
Xiucheng Guo ◽  
Lingfeng Pan ◽  
Cong Qi ◽  
Ying Wang
Keyword(s):  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Driving Ability ◽  
Automated Driving ◽  
Driving Conditions ◽  
Lateral Offset ◽  
Vehicle Automation ◽  
Driving Stability ◽  
Beijing China

Research on the influence of age on various automated driving conditions will contribute to an understanding of driving behavior characteristics and the development of specific automated driving systems. This study aims to analyze the relationship between age and takeover behavior in automated driving, where 16 test conditions were taken into consideration, including two driving tasks, two warning times and four driving scenarios. Forty-two drivers in Beijing, China in 2020 were recruited to participate in a static driving simulator with Level 3 (L3) conditional automation to obtain detailed test information of the recorded takeover time, mean speed and mean lateral offset. An ANOVA test was proposed to examine the significance among different age groups and conditions. The results confirmed that reaction time increased significantly with age and the driving stability of the older group was worse than the young and middle groups. It was also indicated that the older group could not adapt to complex tasks well when driving due to their limited cognitive driving ability. Additionally, the higher urgency of a scenario explained the variance in the takeover quality. According to the obtained influencing mechanisms, policy implications for the development of vehicle automation, considering the various driving behaviors of drivers, were put forward, so as to correctly identify the high-risk driving conditions in different age groups. For further research, on-road validation will be necessary in order to check for driving simulation-related effects.

Cycling and Urban Traffic Management and Control Systems

2000 ◽  
Vol 1705 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Clark ◽  
Matthew W. Page
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Explicit Consideration ◽  
Additional Costs ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Urban Traffic Control ◽  
Motorized Vehicles ◽  
And Control

Since the 1950s, cycling has been a declining mode of travel in the United Kingdom. During this same period, sophisticated techniques for managing traffic in the urban environment have been developed. Given these circumstances, the presence of cyclists is often ignored by urban traffic control (UTC) systems, which are dominated by consideration of the flows and journey times of private motorized vehicles. Authorities are enthusiastic about the promotion of cycling as a mode of travel and are looking to see if this can be assisted by use of traffic management systems. The fact that cyclists and potential cyclists vary considerably in their abilities and performance, as well as in their attitudes to timesaving and safety, is highlighted. The context of the problem is set, the specific issue of detection of cycles is examined, the potential for implementation of priority measures in different types of UTC systems is discussed, and the issue is illustrated with some actual installations. Limited European evidence would suggest that only minimum effort is needed to take explicit account of cycling when a UTC system is being implemented. This supports the idea that cyclists can be given a higher degree of consideration within a UTC system without incurring significant additional costs. Only when cycling achieves a near-dominant proportion of the trips within a city and is growing in volume, as is the case in China, is explicit consideration to cyclists given.

Comparison of SAGAT and SPAM for Seeking Effective Way to Evaluate Situation Awareness and Workload During Air Traffic Control Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1836-1840
Author(s):  
Mitsuki Fujino ◽  
Jieun Lee ◽  
Toshiaki Hirano ◽  
Yuichi Saito ◽  
Makoto Itoh
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Air Traffic Control ◽  
Air Traffic Management ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Air Traffic ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Assessment Technique ◽  
Nasa Tlx

Evaluation of air traffic controller’s situation awareness (SA) is becoming important for air traffic management with the growth of air traffic. This study compared two SA evaluation methods: Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) and Situation Present Assessment Method (SPAM) to understand how these techniques affect controllers’ predictability in different traffic density settings. Twenty students undertook simple air traffic control simulations by using both techniques. We investigated how these techniques affect their workload with Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) and NASA-TLX. SWAT scores showed that high traffic density increased participants’ workload, and extra workload was posed right after answering SA queries. NASA-TLX scores were larger when SAGAT was used than when SPAM was used throughout the simulation. We found that the workload with SAGAT interferes with main tasks more than that of SPAM. The results of query scores suggested that SPAM is more predictive to the assessment of the controller’s SA.

scholarly journals Adaptive Traffic Management System using CNN (YOLO)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 3726-3732
Author(s):  
B. Sowmya
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Traffic Flow ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Traffic Signal ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Loop Control ◽  
Control Framework

The huge number of vehicles on the roadways is making congestion a significant problem. The line longitudinal vehicle waiting to be processed at the crossroads increases quickly, and the traditionally used traffic signals are not able to program it properly. Manual traffic monitoring may be an onerous job since a number of cameras are deployed over the network in traffic management centers. The proactive decision-making of human operators, which would decrease the effect of events and recurring road congestion, might contribute to the easing of the strain of automation.The traffic control frameworks in India are now needed as it is an open-loop control framework, without any input or detection mechanism. Inductive loops and sensors employed in existing technology used to detect the number of passing vehicles. The way traffic lights are adapted is highly inefficient and costly in this existing technology. The aim was to build a traffic control framework by introducing a system for detection ,which gives an input to the existing system (closed loop control system) in order to adapt to the changing traffic density patterns and to provide the controller with a crucial indication for ongoing activities. By this technique, the improvement of the signals on street is extended and thus saves time by preventing traffic congestion. This study proposes an algorithm for real-time traffic signal control, depending on the traffic flow. In reality, the features of competitive traffic flow at the signposted road crossing are used by computer vision and by machine learning. This is done by the latest, real-time object identification, based on convolutional Neural Networks network called You Look Once (YOLO). Traffic signal phases are then improved by data acquired in order to allow more vehicles to pass safely over minimal wait times, particularly the line long and the time of waiting per vehicle.This adjustable traffic signal timer is used to calculate traffic density utilizing YOLO object identification using live pictures of cameras in intervals and adjusts the signal timers appropriately, therefore decreasing the road traffic congestion, ensuring speedier transit for persons, and reducing fuel consumption. The traffic conditions will improve enormously at a relatively modest cost. Inductive loops are a viable but costly approach. This method thereby cuts expenses and outcomes quickly.

scholarly journals Design and Development of Traffic Control System using Image Processing

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 3247-3252
Author(s):  
G. Kalyan
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
The Road ◽  
Real Time Traffic ◽  
On The Road

Traffic congestion is now a big issue. Although it seems to penetrate throughout the world, urban towns are the ones which are most effected. And it is expanding in nature that it is necessary to understand the density of roads in real time to better regulate signals and efficient management of transport. Various traffic congestions, such as limited capacity, unrestricted demand, huge Red Light waits might occur. While insufficient capacity and unlimited demand are somehow interconnected, their delay in lighting is difficult to encode and not traffic dependant. The necessity to simulate and optimise traffic controls therefore arises in order to better meet this growing demand. The traffic management of information, ramp metering, and updates in real-time has been frequently used in recent years for image processing and monitoring systems. An image processing can also be used for the traffic density estimation. This research describes the approach for the computation of real-time traffic density by image processing for using live picture feed from cameras. It focuses also on the algorithm for the transmission of traffic signals on the road according to the density of vehicles and therefore aims to reduce road congestion, which reduces the number of accidents.

scholarly journals Increased Participation and Decreased Performance in Recreational Master Athletes in “Berlin Marathon” 1974–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlen Reusser ◽  
Caio Victor Sousa ◽  
Elias Villiger ◽  
José Ramón Alvero Cruz ◽  
Lee Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marathon Running ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Recreational Athletes ◽  
Performance Trends ◽  
The World ◽  
Boston Marathon ◽  
And Performance

The aspect of participation and performance trends in marathon running has been investigated mainly in marathons held in the United States of America (e.g., “New York City Marathon,” “Boston Marathon”), but not for the fastest course in the world, the “Berlin Marathon” held in Berlin, Germany. This study aimed to examine trends in participation and performance in the “Berlin Marathon” on all its previous 46 editions from 1974 to 2019, the largest dataset ever studied in this event with 696,225 finishers (after data cleaning). Athletes in all age groups increased their participation, except for male athletes aged 20–49 years and athletes of both sexes above 79 years of age. This overall increase in participation was more pronounced in women, but still, there are more men than women participating in “Berlin Marathon” nowadays. All age group athletes decreased their performance across years overall, whereas the top ten recreational athletes improved their performance over the years. Our findings improved the knowledge about the evolution of male and female marathoners across calendar years, especially for the fastest marathon race in the world, the “Berlin Marathon.”

scholarly journals Effects of Driver Age and Dimensions of the Stop Sign on Braking Distance Performance at Stop-Controlled Intersections

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunanda Dissanayake
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Older Drivers ◽  
Statistical Testing ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Stop Sign ◽  
Braking Distance ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Traffic Control Devices

Guidelines for the use of traffic control devices at stop-controlled intersections in the United States are provided in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Based on that, different dimensions of stop signs could be employed, even within the same jurisdiction. The study summarized in this paper investigated the effects of driver age and dimensions of stop signs on braking distance performance at stop-controlled intersections, while paying particular attention to older drivers. Data were collected at several stop-controlled intersections in non-residential areas in Hillsborough County, Florida, where three different sizes of stop signs (30", 36", and 48") were in use. Three driver age groups were also considered: older drivers, middle-age drivers, and young drivers. Statistical testing was used to find out whether the braking distances were different among driver age groups and also among different sizes of stop signs. Based on the observational data, it was found that older drivers had significantly longer braking distances for the largest size of the stop sign. Braking distances were also significantly different among the driver groups for the two larger sizes of the stop signs, but not for the smallest. In other words, older drivers see the larger sign and apply the brakes sooner resulting in longer braking distances. As such, the study recommends considering the replacement of smaller sizes of stop signs with the largest size in non-residential areas with a high older-driver population to increase safety at stop-controlled intersections.

Quantifying the Mobility Benefits of Express Lanes using Real-Time Traffic Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (11) ◽  
pp. 414-423
Author(s):  
Cecilia Kadeha ◽  
Priyanka Alluri ◽  
Thobias Sando
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Transportation Agencies ◽  
Express Lanes

Traffic congestion is one of the major problems facing transportation agencies, especially in urban areas. Agencies are exploring ways to use the existing transportation infrastructure efficiently by deploying appropriate traffic management strategies. One of these strategies is the use of express lanes, which are expected to effectively mitigate congestion and increase the reliability of highway facilities. Express lanes are managed toll lanes, separated from general-purpose lanes within a freeway facility. The goal of this study was to quantify the mobility benefits of express lanes by comparing the performance of express lanes with that of their adjacent general-purpose lanes, and by assessing the performance of the general-purpose lanes when the express lanes were open versus when the express lanes were closed. The Buffer Index (BI), a travel time reliability measure, was selected as the performance measure. The analysis was based on 95Express, express lanes along I-95 in Miami, Florida. Overall, the results indicated that BIs for the express lanes were significantly lower than the BIs for the general-purpose lanes, and the BIs for the general-purpose lanes were significantly lower when the express lanes were open compared with the periods when the express lanes were closed. The study results showed mobility improvements on both the express lanes and the general-purpose lanes, although the extent of the improvements varied by direction (i.e., northbound and southbound) and time of day (i.e., a.m. peak, p.m. peak, daytime off-peak, and nighttime off-peak). Transportation agencies may use these findings to quantify and evaluate the mobility benefits of the express lanes and the general-purpose lanes on express lane facilities.

scholarly journals Operational Evaluation of Part-Time Shoulder Use for Interstate 476 in the State of Pennsylvania

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Coffey ◽  
Seri Park
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
The State ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Vehicle Type ◽  
Heavy Trucks ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Population Counts

Part-time shoulder use (PTSU) is a capacity-adding strategy that utilized the shoulder temporarily during the peak commuting period and is used sporadically throughout the United States of America (USA). This strategy aids in addressing a transportation-related issue for major metropolitan areas. Around major metropolitan areas, the land availability is limited due to high population counts, which makes widening roadways for growing populations complex and expensive. Many countries are looking at methods that better utilize the transportation infrastructure currently constructed before widening the roadway. PTSU provides a possible solution to this problem, and this research aims to evaluate the operational benefits of PTSU using a case study based in the state of Pennsylvania. Interstate 476 (I-476), in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area is a prime candidate for PTSU. This four-lane highway has peak directional volumes of around 4,700 vehicles per hour in particular sections during the morning commuting period. I-476 is a major commuting route for the region, and the additional capacity during the commuting periods would greatly improve the flow of the surrounding network. This analysis was completed using a Vissim model simulating the 7 AM to 9 AM commuting period. A variety of PTSU scenarios were analyzed including (1) general purpose PTSU lane, (2) passenger cars only PTSU lane, (3) heavy trucks only PTSU lane, and (4) general purpose PTSU lane where additional traffic is induced. Overall, this study determined that PTSU could significantly decrease the travel time on I-476, regardless of vehicle type restrictions, and could provide a more stable traffic density throughout the I-476 network. This research provides additional insight into the effects of vehicle type restrictions on the effectiveness of PTSU and further strengthens the understanding of the operational benefit of PTSU.

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