Moving the Bus Safely Back into Traffic, Phase II
The difficulty experienced by transit buses in moving back into traffic safely from bus pullout bays has become a serious problem due to potential hazards between buses merging from pullout bays and the surrounding traffic. Previous studies have determined the need to closely examine the engineering side of the Yield to Bus (YTB) program and to develop effective countermeasures to address the issue. Phase I of this project focused on the comprehensive literature review, field observation, and data collection of three aspects: bus signing and lighting configuration, road signs, and YTB regulations. The Phase I project has determined the best practices of signing and lighting configurations on the rear of buses and roadside signs to assist transit buses to safely re-enter the traffic stream, and identify the needs for further research to evaluate the recommended countermeasures from Phase I. Specifically, the major recommendations including further research from Phase I for on-bus devices are as follows: (1) conduct a comprehensive data collection for evaluating the latest on-bus YTB Light Emitting Diode (LED) flashing signs on the back of buses, (2) assess safety and operational benefits of on-bus LED flashing yield signs, and (3) develop recommendations and implementation of an effective public awareness program to increase public awareness of YTB laws. In 2004 a crash study was conducted to examine all reported bus crashes during the period of 1998 to 2002 on the State Highway System. The results of this report indicated that 47 percent of all bus crashes were rear end collisions. In an attempt to reduce these types of crashes Phase 1 of this research was proposed and accomplished. Phase I of this research project was completed in November, 2007, which presented a comprehensive overview of the existing signage, lighting configurations, and existing YTB laws that were used to help buses merge back into traffic from bus pull-out bays. General engineering recommendations were developed in these three areas based on the statewide bus operators survey, field observations, and preliminary crash data analysis. The specific countermeasures included the implementation of the latest YTB LED flashing signs on the back of buses and advanced road signs and/or beacons. It is necessary to evaluate recommended countermeasures on moving buses safely back into traffic, as well as to assess safety and operational benefits to transit buses and surrounding vehicles by implementing the recommended countermeasures.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $99527.00
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Contract Numbers:
DTRT12-G-UTC22
77910
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Sponsor Organizations:
Florida Department of Transportation
605 Suwannee Street
Tallahassee, FL United States 32399-0450 -
Project Managers:
Datz, Amy
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Performing Organizations:
University of South Florida, Tampa
Center for Urban Transportation Research
3650 Spectrum Boulevard
Tampa, FL United States 33612-9446 -
Principal Investigators:
Lin, Pei-Sung
- Start Date: 20090100
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 20100901
- Source Data: RiP Project 25145
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bus crashes; Bus drivers; Bus stops; Bus transit operations; Bus transportation; Light emitting diodes; Public transit; Rear end crashes; Research projects; Traffic safety
- Uncontrolled Terms: Flashing signs; Yield (Traffic); Yield to bus laws
- Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01539705
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: National Center for Transit Research
- Contract Numbers: DTRT12-G-UTC22, 77910
- Files: RIP
- Created Date: Oct 1 2014 2:16AM