Project title: Analysis of the Problem of Passing Zones on Rural Roads with Two Contiguous Lanes

File: I131.1

Problem:
Roads with two contiguous lanes account for nearly 20,000 km of the Québec road network. Depending on their traffic flow, which is increasing gradually, the service level on some of these roads is tending to diminish, to the extent of offering an unacceptable service level in which the fluidity and safety of trips are compromised. One of the reasons related to this situation is the difficulty of passing safely, because the number of opportunities to pass on these roads is less than the number of attempts to pass.

Objectives:
The fundamental objective of the research project is to design a work tool to detect the areas where the demand for passing is not satisfied, find the reasons and propose effective solutions to the problem. The tool will allow evaluation of the different intervention options to improve the passing possibilities on two-lane roads and guarantee uniform application of these interventions troughout Québec.

Methodology:
Review the literature on the subject. Analyze the phenomenon of passing on rural roads with two contiguous lanes. Develop an algorithm to determine the available sight distance and the passing zones permitted on the road sections studied. Choose a simulation software to analyze passing. Define the intervention options that will be studied by the work tool and their impacts on traffic conditions. Develop the work tool and the user manual.

General information:

Modality:
Postsecondary