Study of driver behaviour at turbo-roundabouts

• Published in: Archives of Transport Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 17 - 28
• Main Authors: Chodur, Janusz, Bąk, Radosław
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Transport, Warsaw University of Technology 30.06.2016
• Subjects: road safety; separation of traffic lanes; traffic engineering; turbo-roundabouts
• ISSN: 0866-9546; 2300-8830; 2300-8830
• DOI: 10.5604/08669546.1218790

The article presents the results of preliminary research into the behaviour of drivers at turbo-roundabouts. The subject of the research included the frequency of driver behaviour against the traffic rules, and the speed at which vehicles drive through turbo-roundabouts. One of the crucial problems which was analysed was the influence of different kinds of traffic lane division on the behaviour of drivers. The analysis results affirm that the raised lane dividers can visibly improve the propensity of drivers to stay within the designated traffic corridor. However, it does not eliminate the phenomenon of improper lane changing on circulatory roadway. The physical separation of traffic lanes has not been determined to introduce any additional hazard. The speed of vehicles encroaching upon the neighbouring traffic corridor is visibly higher than this of vehicles following traffic rules. Using crash prediction models developed for single- and multi-lane roundabouts, the authors of the research estimated that lane dividers may reduce the number of crashes from about 10% to 17%.