New approach for developing warrants of protected left-turn phase at signalized intersections

The research embodied in this paper presents a new approach for the development of guidelines for the installation of a protected left-turn phase at signalized intersections when permissive-only left-turn operation is present. This approach is based on maintaining intersection traffic operation at optimum efficiency. Three analyses were presented and discussed and they involved the use of the new approach on some hypothetical basic scenarios at a four-legged intersection with single lane in each approach. The first scenario involved exclusive left-turn lane operation while the other two scenarios involved shared-lane operation. Exhaustive signal optimization analyses were conducted using a signal optimization software package called ‘Signal Expert’. Regression models were developed from optimization results that allow the analyst to make the decision on protected left-turn phase installation using the basic input data of signal timing design without the need to perform field measurements. The regression results showed that the transition from permissive to protected/permissive left-turn operation, based on system optimization, is mainly a function of traffic conditions and that this transition (interface) is predictable. The results also suggested that these warrants are of reasonable accuracy when compared with those in the current practice.