NO TURNS ALLOWED: CONTROLLING VEHICLES TURNING IN FRONT OF LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2000
Subject Area
operations - traffic, infrastructure - vehicle, planning - safety/accidents, organisation - management, mode - rail, mode - tram/light rail
Keywords
Vehicular traffic control, Turning traffic, Transit accidents, Traffic signs, signals and markings, Traffic signs and signals, Traffic management (Traffic control), Traffic control devices, Street traffic control, Recommendations, Light rail transit, Highway traffic control, Highway signs, signals and markings, Accident types
Abstract
A key attribute of light rail transit (LRT) is its ability to integrate well into urban environments, sharing the public right-of-way with motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. This characteristic has made LRT very successful in urban corridors that require a high-capacity mode of transportation operating in a shared (on-street or mall) right-of-way environment. Although LRT is an inherently safe mode of transportation, accidents do occur. Such accidents negatively affect not only the parties involved, but also the operation of the entire LRT system and the reputation of the transit property. LRT accident data indicate that the most prevalent type of light rail vehicle (LRV)-motor vehicle accident occurs when motor vehicles turn left or right across LRT tracks and collide with an LRV rapidly approaching the intersection. Five of the most-common types of such accidents are identified, and traffic control devices and techniques are recommended to improve safety by conveying to the motorist the higher level of risk in violating a left or right turn signal prohibition.
Recommended Citation
Farran, J. (2000). NO TURNS ALLOWED: CONTROLLING VEHICLES TURNING IN FRONT OF LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES,.Transportation Research Record, Vol. 1704, p. 85-89.
