Traffic Simulation of a Rural 2 + 1 Highway in Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Japan, is a cold, snowy island where winter lasts for approximately 5 months, from November to March. Road surfaces are usually dry, but frequently covered with compacted snow. A measure to improve existing two-lane highways to two-plus-one (2+1) lane highways by installing an auxiliary lane has been introduced to offer a better quality of service to road users. A sensitivity analysis was undertaken with a traffic flow microsimulation program, SIM-R, to evaluate the effectiveness of 2+1-lane highway sections, which were built by adding an auxiliary lane to rural two-lane highways, in a cold, snowy region. The road surface conditions under analysis were dry and covered with compacted snow. The hourly traffic volumes were changed from 100 to 1,000 vehicles per hour. Evaluation indicators were the average travel speed, the percentage of following vehicles, and the density of following vehicles. The results showed that the average travel speed decreased, the follower percentage increased, and the follower density increased as the hourly traffic volumes increased. Moreover, the road performance decreased on the road covered with compacted snow compared with the dry road. The installation of an auxiliary lane at certain intervals was also found to improve the level of service for two-lane highways on both the dry road and the road with compacted snow.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Traffic Simulation of a Rural 2 + 1 Highway in Hokkaido

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Analysis on Rural Highway Design using Traffic Micro-Simulation in Cold Regions

Analysis on Rural Highway Design using Traffic Micro-Simulation in Cold Regions

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF “2+1 LANE” HIGHWAY IN HOKKAIDO

Performance Evaluation for Rural Two-Plus-One–Lane Highway in a Cold, Snowy Region

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Traffic Simulation of a Rural 2 + 1 Highway in Hokkaido

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Analysis on Rural Highway Design using Traffic Micro-Simulation in Cold Regions

Analysis on Rural Highway Design using Traffic Micro-Simulation in Cold Regions

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF &ldquo;2+1 LANE&rdquo; HIGHWAY IN HOKKAIDO

Performance Evaluation for Rural Two-Plus-One–Lane Highway in a Cold, Snowy Region

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF “2+1 LANE” HIGHWAY IN HOKKAIDO