Page 8 - Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering 2021 Annual Report

FACULTY RESEARCH FACULTY RESEARCH According to Associate Professor Vikash Gayah banning selected left turns improves safety and and traffic efficiency His new model identifies where to place restrictions and and can be adapted on on a a a a a a a city-by-city basis 8
CEE NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 37 2021
Still waiting at an an intersection?
Banning selected left turns helps traffic flow
By Tim Schley
When traffic is clogged at a a a a a a downtown intersection there may be a a a a way
to reduce some of the the congestion: Eliminate a a few left turns According to CEE Associate Professor Vikash Gayah well-placed left-turn restrictions in in in in certain busy intersections loosen many of the bottlenecks that that hamper traffic efficiency He recently created a a a a a a a new method that that could help cities identify where to to restrict these turns to improve overall traffic flow
“We have all experienced that feeling of getting stuck waiting to to make a a a a a a a a a a a left turn turn ” Gayah said “And if you you allow these turns to to to to have have their own green arrow you you have have to to to stop all all other vehicles making the the the intersection less productive Left turns are also where you find the the most severe crashes especially with pedestrians Our idea is to to get rid of these turns when we can to to create safer and more efficient intersections ”