Dilemma Zone Protection On High Speed Arterials

"Driver behavior within the dilemma zone can be a major safety concern at high-speed signalized intersections, especially for heavy trucks. The Nebraska Department of ROADS (NDOR) has developed an implemented an Actuated Advance Warning (AAW) dilemma zone protection system. The AAW system has been documented as being effective at improving traffic safety at isolated signalized intersections. However, the system is yet to be used at signalized intersections operating in the coordinated mode. This study tested the feasibility of deploying the system on arterials where the signals are closely spaced and operate in a coordinated mode. A microsimulation approach -- integration of traffic microsimulation and surrogate safety performance measures -- was developed to assess the potential benefits (safety and operation) in-lieu of observed traffic and crash data. The analysis of conflicts indicated that, on average, there were 30%, 7%, and 30% reductions in the number of rear-end, lane change, and crossing conflicts respectively when the AAW system was used. In terms of the relative productivity of the system, the number of vehicles that were processed during a specified analysis period revealed that there were generally more vehicles processed when the AAW system was not in place. Also, the overall link travel times were slightly higher when the system was in place" (page viii).