The Influence of Driver Behavior on Saturation Flow Rate at Signalized Intersection

Abstract

Signalized intersection is very critical and significant element of city traffic network. It has an affect on the road network as it significantly affects the performance of the whole network. The signalized intersection performance is usually measured by delay and saturation flow rate, therefore accurate evaluation of signalized intersection capacity requires accurate determination of saturation flow rate. In intersection capacity analysis, driver behavior is measured by saturation headways which directly influence the value of the saturation flow rate. Therefore, this study conducted to measure the influence of the driver behavior on the saturation flow rate by calculating the actual field saturation flow rate at the signalized intersection, then comparing the calculated field saturation flow rate with the ideal saturation flow rate and determine any possible difference. The study results indicated that driver behavior has a significant influence on the saturation flow rate at signalized intersections, where non-aggressive (conservative) driver behavior will increase the saturation headway and as a result will reduce the saturation flow rate, while aggressive driver behavior will reduce the saturation headway and as a result will increase the saturation flow rate. Also, the results indicated that saturation flow rate is dependent on locality especially it is significantly influenced by driver behavior.

Keywords

• driver behavior
• signalized intersection
• saturation headway
• vehicles queue
• saturation flow rate