Another View of Truck Lane Restrictions

Abstract

As truck volumes on U.S. highways continue to increase, both elected officials and members of the general public often look to the use of lane restrictions for large trucks as a means to increase operating efficiency and highway safety. In the past, research has offered little evidence that either safety or efficiency is positively affected by widespread use of this practice. Another view of truck lane-use restrictions on high-speed, limited-access facilities is offered. To determine the effects of lane-use restrictions, scenarios that varied traffic characteristics such as volume, grade, percentage of trucks, and the presence of entrance and exit ramps were developed with the VISSIM model. In each scenario traffic along the model freeway segment was monitored to determine the effect of the lane-use restrictions by comparing values of various traffic measures from a model run first without and then again with truck lane restrictions. As in past research efforts, the implementation of truck lane restrictions in a variety of scenarios is shown to have little effect on a number of traditional measures, including average speed, speed differential between cars and large trucks, and level of service. However, further examination of data resulting from the simulation process shows that significant gains in the area of safety and driver comfort may be realized through the reduction of lane-changing maneuvers by all vehicle types, lending support to past driver surveys indicating strong support for this practice among drivers of passenger vehicles.