Evacuation speed at a signalized intersection

The main factors determining traffic safety at a signalized intersection are appropriately long inter-green times between conflicting streams. When calculating inter-green times, evacuation and approach speeds are used in accordance with. The paper presents the results of empirical studies on evacuation speeds at several intersections in Krakow.Vehicle speeds were recorded as they entered the intersection during the yellow signal. The analysis of the results covers both straight-through and turning movements. The influence of the speed limit at the approach and the turning radius on the evacuation speed was investigated. For signalized intersections, the main factors determining the safety of intersection users are inter-green times. The problem lies in the correct calculation of inter-green times between conflicting traffic streams (vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, public transport vehicles), as values that are too low can cause collisions within the intersection area, while values that are too high reduce intersection capacity and lead to dangerous user behaviors (habits) (e.g., resulting from the following reasoning: I will still make it through/across during the initial period of the red signal because vehicles from the next phase are not moving yet). The correct assumption of evacuation and approach speeds for individual traffic users plays a decisive role in the calculation of inter-green times. The paper presents the results of empirical studies on evacuation speeds conducted at several intersections in Krakow and the results of analyses leading to (…)

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