Some traffic problems, such as traffic congestion at an intersection or short segment, can be solved or improved by optimizing the road design, change signal timing, traffic management measurements, and other transportation technologies1,2,3,4. These improvements either have a positive or negative effect on traffic flow operations compared to the original situations. The changes in traffic operations can be compared in traffic simulation software rather than in actual reconstruction of the intersection or segment. The traffic simulation method is a quick and cheap option when one or more improvement plans are proposed, especially when comparing different improvement plans or evaluating the effectiveness of improvements. This article introduces the process of solving a traffic problem with simulation by evaluating traffic flow operational features of an exclusive spur dike U-turn lane design5.
U-turn movement is a widespread traffic demand that requires a U-turn median opening on the road, but this has been debated. Designing a U-turn opening can cause traffic congestion, while closing the U-turn opening can cause detours for the U-turn vehicles. Two movements, U-turn vehicles and direct left-turn vehicles, require a U-turn opening and cause traffic delays, stops, or even accidents. Some technologies have been proposed to solve the disadvantages of U-turn movements, such as signalization6,7, exclusive left turn lanes8,9, and autonomous vehicles10,11. Improvement potential still exists on U-turn issues, due to the above solutions having restrictive applications. A new U-turn design may be a better solution under certain conditions and be able to address existing problems.
The most popular U-turn design is the median U-turn intersection (MUTI)12,13,14,15, as shown in Figure 1. A significant limitation of the MUTI is that it cannot distinguish U-turn vehicles from passing vehicles and that traffic conflict still exists16,17. A modified U-turn design called the exclusive spur dike U-turn lane (ESUL; Figure 2) is proposed here and aims to diminish traffic congestion by introducing an exclusive U-turn lane on both sides of a median. The ESUL can significantly reduce travel time, delays, and the number of stops due to its channelization of the two flows.
To prove that the ESUL is more efficient than the normal MUTI, a rigorous protocol is needed. The ESUL cannot be actually constructed before a theoretical model; thus, simulation is needed18. Using traffic flow parameters, some key models have been used in simulation research19, such as driving behavior models20,21, car following models22,23, U-turn models4, and lane change models21. The accuracy of traffic flow simulations is widely accepted16,24. In this study, both the MUTI and ESUL are simulated with collected data to compare improvements made by the ESUL. To guarantee accuracy, a sensitive analysis of the ESUL is also simulated, which can apply to many different traffic situations.
This protocol presents experimental procedures for solving real traffic problems. The methods for traffic data collection, data analysis, and analysis of overall efficiency of traffic improvements are proposed. The procedure can be summarized in five steps: 1) traffic data collection, 2) data analysis, 3) simulation model build, 4) calibration of simulation model, and 5) sensitivity analysis of operational performance. If any one of these requirements in the five steps is not met, the process is incomplete and insufficient to prove effectiveness.