32 research outputs found
Research Incentive Programs for Closures of Public and Private Grade Crossings
No full text<p>Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PPLSU13. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:</p>
<p>"Vehicle-train crashes that occur at highway-rail crossings result in injuries, fatalities, and damage to equipment. In order to reduce the number of vehicle-train crashes, Federal Railroad Administration requires states which have challenges with crossing safety, including Louisiana, to develop a State Action Plan to improve grade crossing safety. Consequently, identification of specific solutions for improving safety at crossings was included in the 2015 Louisiana Transportation Plan as one of its objectives. This study seeks to identify and evaluate current and new incentive programs that encourage closure of at-grade railroad crossings to reduce the number of potential vehicle-train collision points, and hence improve safety. To accomplish this, a survey was designed and was distributed to personnel of state and railroad agencies. Survey responses from the DOTs revealed that currently, 16 states had no incentive programs for consolidation or closure of highway-rail crossings. Analysis of the survey data revealed that states without any incentive program had the least proportion of highway-rail crossing closures. The study revealed that cash incentives, while popular are not effective because although the Federal Government contributes to a state’s effort in offering cash incentives for closure of public grade crossings, the amount is not substantial enough to be considered a significant incentive by most local governments. Also, track relocation, while effective is mostly impractical due to the high costs involved. A literature review revealed that having a mathematical model to guide on the selection of crossings for consolidation or closure provides sound scientific basis and are usually welcomed by the community. The research team identified three potential new incentives that could work well for Louisiana namely crime rate reduction incentives, greenness improvement programs, and the development of a grade crossing consolidation model that considers safety, among a plethora of other factors, to be used to prioritize crossings to be closed. However, additional work is required to validate these programs for statewide deployment."</p>Tran-SET Project No. 17PPLSU1
The Effects of Concurrent Driving and In-Vehicle Tasks: A Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Driver Distraction in a High-Fidelity Driving Simulator
No full textDistracted driving continues to remain a cause of concern for a number of bodies, including government agencies, traffic safety advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies, because of its traffic safety risks. The driving simulator continues to be popular with researchers in collecting data on performance variables that provide scientific knowledge of the effects of distracted driving. Several of these performance variables can be used to quantify a single distracting effect, resulting in a multivariate dataset. A literature review of related studies revealed that researchers overwhelmingly use univariate (single and multiple) tests to analyze the resulting dataset. Performing multiple univariate tests on a multivariate dataset results in inflated Type-I error rates, and could result in inaccurately concluding that there is a distracting effect when there may not be. Researchers also provided very little or no justification for the selection of variables that were used for the univariate analysis. Being able to correctly identify a set of variables to be used to research a single distracting effect is critical in that different variables may lead to different conclusions of significant findings or not. The primary objective of this dissertation was to develop a sound statistical basis for correctly identifying a set of variables and also to demonstrate the benefits of adopting a multivariate gate-keeper test in distracted driving studies. This was demonstrated with an experiment where 67 drivers participated in a repeated measures driving simulator experiment. 14 commonly used performance variables were used as the multivariate response variables. The corresponding data were analyzed using univariate tests, and multivariate gate-keeper tests. The results indicate that ignoring the multivariate structure and performing multiple univariate tests, as has been found to be prevalent in past studies, will lead to inflated Type-I error rates and potentially misleading conclusions. The procedure developed in this study also led to the development of sound statistical basis for the selection of variables that can be best used to account for the distracting effect of the texting and phone call activities that were investigated. The findings of this study have significant educational value to the body of knowledge on distracted driving studies and any other studies that analyze multiple dependent variables for a single factor
Long-Term Evaluation of the Operational Performance of Fixed Time Ramp Metering Control Strategy: A Freeway Corridor Study
No full textRamp metering is one of the successful active traffic control strategies to control traffic flow at entry points to freeways. This study evaluates the effectiveness of fixed-time ramp metering control strategy on the day-to-day operation of traffic over two segments (easternmost and westernmost) of the I-12 corridor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Detector speeds and volumes were collected over 11 months and used to generate three performance measures, speed, travel time, and level of service to compare traffic conditions before and after the deployment of ramp meters. Comparative analysis, comprising statistical analysis, analysis of travel time savings, and level of service were then undertaken for traffic conditions before and after ramp meters installation. Overall, the results show some improvements in traffic conditions in the eastbound direction of the westernmost segment; however, the conditions slightly deteriorated on the westbound of the same segment. For the easternmost segment of I-12, no improvement was detected.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Mitigating Traffic Congestion on I-10 Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, LA
No full textThe purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate treatments and strategies to mitigate traffic congestion on the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge, LA. Based on VISSIM simulation results, combination of supply- and demand-oriented measures will be required. Rehabilitation of the old bridge on US-190 and the existing US-190/US-61 corridor, overall demand management of I-10 EB traffic, reduction in percent trucks traveling eastbound on I-10 during the A.M. peak, and ramp metering at the on-ramp west of the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge appear to be feasible and effective solutions
Applying machine learning, text mining, and spatial analysis techniques to develop a highway-railroad grade crossing consolidation model
No full textThe consolidation of Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing (HRGC) is one of the effective approaches to decrease the number of crashes between trains and vehicles. From 2015–2019, there were 57 HRGC crashes at crossings in East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP), resulting in thirteen injuries with $346,875 cost of vehicle damages. Consolidation programs help to close redundant crossings and thereby decrease the crash risks; however, it is difficult to find the best crossing in a neighborhood for closure. In our previous research working on HRGC consolidation models in 2019, from among four Machine Learning algorithms, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGboost) performed better in HRGC prediction models. In continuation of our previous studies on developing a HRGC prediction model, this research employed Text Mining Techniques, and Geospatial Analysis in addition to the XGboost Machine Learning algorithm. The aim was to develop a consolidation model that is customized for local implementation. The results indicated an overall accuracy of 88 % for the proposed model. The relative importance of the variables input to the model was also reported and offers an in-depth understanding of the model\u27s behavior. Considering the different correlation threshold, a sensitivity analysis was also performed on different aggregation gain values. Subsequently, it resulted in the development of a simplified model utilizing 14 variables, with aggregated gain values of 95 % and a correlation threshold of 0.5. Based on this model, 15 % of current highway-rail grade crossings should be closed
Develop and Evaluate Performance Measures for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in Louisiana: Research Project Capsule [21\u20134SS]
No full text80/20 SPRThe primary objective of this project is to develop a set of performance measures for each existing ITS application in Louisiana and then collect data and evaluate and quantify the benefits achieved through their implementation across transportation planning, traffic operation, safety, environmental quality and sustainability and any other areas that can be evaluated
Evaluating Permitted/Protected Versus Protected Left Turn Signals in Louisiana: Research Project Capsule [21\u20133SS]
No full text80/20 SPRThe primary objective of this project is to study the safety and operation of existing signal intersections (protected only versus permitted/protected left turns versus permitted only but with left turn lanes) along with their geometric features, as described in the DOTD Traffic Signal Manual, with the view to develop guidance on when it is appropriate to install each signal type. The research will answer whether or not the signal type affects the intersection control delay as well as if the signal type affects crash type and frequency. It will also investigate which geometric features significantly impact on the choice of signal type and if flow characteristics (traffic volumes) influence crash characteristics, and ultimately the choice of signal type. Finally, the research will explore when it is most appropriate to install a specific signal type considering operation and safety concerns
Mitigating Traffic Congestion on I-10 in Baton Rouge, LA: Supply- and Demand-Oriented Strategies & Treatments
No full textThe aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of the causes of traffic congestion on I-10 in the Baton Rouge, LA area, particularly at the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge, and to identify treatments and strategies to mitigate congestion at the bridge site. This study developed and calibrated a microsimulation model of I-10 (from Lobdell Highway in Port Allen to Highland Road, I-110 to Florida Street, and I-12 to Walker Road) and investigated several supply- and demand-oriented strategies. This includes: rehabilitation and utilization of the old Mississippi River Bridge on US-190 and the existing US-190/US-61 corridor, overall demand management of I-10 EB traffic, reduction in percent trucks traveling eastbound on I-10 during the A.M. peak period, and ramp metering at the on-ramp west of the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge. The majority of the tested strategies appear to be feasible and effective solutions; however, a combination of supply- and demand-oriented treatments must be implemented to fully relieve congestion on I-10 in Baton Rouge.Tran-SET Project No. 17ITSLSU0
Estimating Service Life of In Situ Flexible Pavements in Louisiana Using Pavement Management System Data
No full textPavement service life (PSL) is an important input in the design of new and rehabilitated pavements. It is also used in pavement management system (PMS) decision tools, life-cycle cost analysis, and in the allocation of available funds. The objective of this study is to determine the PSL of flexible pavements in Louisiana and to compare the actual PSL to the assumed service life in the design phase. To achieve this objective, the variation of pavement condition index (PCI) with pavement age was extracted from the Louisiana PMS. The rate of deterioration of PCI for each pavement section was analyzed for over 11 years of performance from 1998 until 2009. Based on this analysis, it was determined that the average PSL was 16.1, 15.2, and 12.6 years for Family 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In general, the average PSL for all pavement families was lower than the assumed design life of 20 years. Alligator cracking was the controlling failure mechanism in 48% of the pavement sections. Simple performance models were developed to predict PSL and remaining service life (RSL) knowing the age of the pavement and the drop in PCI from the date of construction to a given year
Applying Association Rules Mining to Investigate Pedestrian Fatal and Injury Crash Patterns Under Different Lighting Conditions
No full textThe pattern of pedestrian crashes varies greatly depending on lighting
circumstances, emphasizing the need of examining pedestrian crashes in various
lighting conditions. Using Louisiana pedestrian fatal and injury crash data
(2010-2019), this study applied Association Rules Mining (ARM) to identify the
hidden pattern of crash risk factors according to three different lighting
conditions (daylight, dark-with-streetlight, and dark-no-streetlight). Based on
the generated rules, the results show that daylight pedestrian crashes are
associated with children (less than 15 years), senior pedestrians (greater than
64 years), older drivers (>64 years), and other driving behaviors such as
failure to yield, inattentive/distracted, illness/fatigue/asleep. Additionally,
young drivers (15-24 years) are involved in severe pedestrian crashes in
daylight conditions. This study also found pedestrian alcohol/drug involvement
as the most frequent item in the dark-with-streetlight condition. This crash
type is particularly associated with pedestrian action (crossing
intersection/midblock), driver age (55-64 years), speed limit (30-35 mph), and
specific area type (business with mixed residential area). Fatal pedestrian
crashes are found to be associated with roadways with high-speed limits (>50
mph) during the dark without streetlight condition. Some other risk factors
linked with high-speed limit related crashes are pedestrians walking
with/against the traffic, presence of pedestrian dark clothing, pedestrian
alcohol/drug involvement. The research findings are expected to provide an
improved understanding of the underlying relationships between pedestrian crash
risk factors and specific lighting conditions. Highway safety experts can
utilize these findings to conduct a decision-making process for selecting
effective countermeasures to reduce pedestrian crashes strategically
