GUIDELINES FOR TIMING YELLOW AND RED INTERVALS AT ...

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GUIDELINES FOR TIMING YELLOW AND RED INTERVALS AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS

FINAL REPORT

Prepared for National Cooperative Highway Research Program

(NCHRP) Transportation Research Board

of The National Academies

Hugh McGee, Sr. Kevin Moriarty

Kim Eccles Mindy Liu Tim Gates Richard Retting

Vienna, Virginia December 2011

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SPONSORSHIP

This work was sponsored by one or more of the following as noted:

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program,

Federal Transit Administration and was conducted in the Transit Cooperative Research Program, Federal Aviation Administration and was conducted in the Airport Cooperative Research

Program, Research and Innovative Technology Administration and was conducted in the National

Cooperative Freight Research Program, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and was conducted in the Hazardous

Materials Cooperative Research Program,

which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies.

DISCLAIMER

This is an uncorrected draft as submitted by the research agency. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in the report are those of the research agency. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Academies, or the program sponsors.

Guidelines for Timing Yellow and Red Intervals at Signalized Intersections

FINAL REPORT

Prepared for National Cooperative Highway Research Program

(NCHRP) Transportation Research Board

of The National Academies

Hugh McGee, Sr. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. - Vienna, Virginia Kevin Moriarty, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. - Vienna, Virginia

Kim Eccles, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. - Vienna, Virginia Mindy Liu, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. - Vienna, Virginia

Tim Gates, Wayne State University - Detroit, Michigan Richard Retting, Sam Schwartz Engineering - Arlington, Virginia

Vienna, Virginia December 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES........................................................................................................VI

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .....................................................................................................................VIII

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ VIII

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 4

RESEARCH NEED ........................................................................................................................................ 4 OBJECTIVE AND RESEARCH APPROACH ..................................................................................................... 4 REPORT CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 6

THE DILEMMA ZONE .................................................................................................................................. 6 NATIONAL RESOURCE PUBLICATIONS ....................................................................................................... 8

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) ...................................................................... 8 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) ......................................................................................... 9 Vehicle Code and Timing of Yellow Change and Red Clearance Intervals ....................................... 12

CHAPTER 3: STATE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR CHANGE INTERVAL TIMINGS ....................... 13

CHANGE INTERVAL TIMING PROCEDURES AND PARAMETERS ................................................................. 13 Determination of Change Intervals .................................................................................................... 13 Perception-reaction Time ................................................................................................................... 14 Approach Speed .................................................................................................................................. 15 Grade .................................................................................................................................................. 16 Deceleration Rate ............................................................................................................................... 16 Width of Intersection........................................................................................................................... 16 Vehicle Length .................................................................................................................................... 17

EFFECTS OF CHANGE INTERVALS ON DRIVER BEHAVIOR ........................................................................ 17 EFFECTS OF CHANGE INTERVALS ON SAFETY .......................................................................................... 17

Effects of change interval timing on red-light running and late exits................................................. 18 Effects of change interval timing on crashes ...................................................................................... 18 Crash effects associated with installing red clearance intervals........................................................ 18 STATE OF KNOWLEDGE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 19

CHAPTER 4: STATE OF PRACTICE FOR CHANGE INTERVAL TIMINGS.............................. 21

SURVEY OF STATE AGENCIES................................................................................................................... 21 Previous Survey in 2008 ..................................................................................................................... 21 ITE Survey in 2009 ............................................................................................................................. 22

CHAPTER 5: FIELD STUDY DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS .......................................... 27

OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................... 27 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Independent Factors ........................................................................................................................... 27 Site Selection....................................................................................................................................... 29 Field Data Collection Procedures ...................................................................................................... 31 Data Extraction................................................................................................................................... 32 Data Reduction ................................................................................................................................... 35 Establishment of Dilemma Zone Boundaries...................................................................................... 36

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ANALYSES ............................................................................................................................................... 39 Results: Brake-Response Time and Deceleration Rate....................................................................... 39 Results: Approach Speed vs. Speed Limit ........................................................................................... 50 Results: Intersection Entry Delay ....................................................................................................... 54

CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION OF STUDY RESULTS ........................................................................... 57

WHAT MODEL SHOULD BE FOLLOWED TO DETERMINE YELLOW CHANGE AND RED CLEARANCE

INTERVALS?............................................................................................................................................. 57

SHOULD YELLOW CHANGE AND RED CLEARANCE INTERVAL TIMING PRACTICES VARY BASED ON STATE

VEHICLE CODE? ....................................................................................................................................... 57 WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED EQUATION AND ASSOCIATED VALUES? ................................................... 58

Yellow Change Interval ...................................................................................................................... 58 Red Clearance Interval ....................................................................................................................... 61

SHOULD THERE BE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM VALUES FOR YELLOW CHANGE AND RED CLEARANCE

INTERVALS?............................................................................................................................................. 64 IS THE RED CLEARANCE INTERVAL NECESSARY? .................................................................................... 64

WHAT OTHER ASPECTS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN IMPLEMENTING YELLOW CHANGE AND RED

CLEARANCE INTERVALS? ........................................................................................................................ 66 Rounding of Calculated Values .......................................................................................................... 66 Left-Turn Change Intervals ................................................................................................................ 66

RECOMMENDED GUIDELINE..................................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDED RESEARCH............................................ 68

CONCLUSIONS.......................................................................................................................................... 68 RECOMMENDED RESEARCH ..................................................................................................................... 70 REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................... 71 APPENDIX A: GUIDELINES FOR TIMING YELLOW AND RED INTERVALS AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS...................................................................................................... A-75 APPENDIX B: RELEVANT MUTCD SECTIONS ........................................................................... B-79 APPENDIX C: DEFINITION OF YELLOW SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES BY STATE ................ C-83 APPENDIX D: TRAFFIC SIGNAL CHANGE INTERVALS SURVEY........................................ D-87 APPENDIX E: DETAILED SITE CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................... E-90 APPENDIX F: EFFECT OF 1-SECOND RED CLEARANCE INTERVAL REDUCTION ON INTERSECTION CLEARANCE........................................................................................................ F-96

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