A Safety Analysis of Left-Turning Maneuvers for Long-Combination Vehicles
A growing number of goods are shipped in Ontario using long-combination vehicles (LCVs). LCVs can significantly increase the amount of cargo carried per shipment, while reducing shipping costs and environmental impacts of freight road travel. Questions remain regarding their safety due to their larger size and wider maneuvering. This thesis furthers our understanding of LCV safety considerations in last-mile areas during left-turning maneuvers by focusing on conflicts with infrastructure and road users. Intersections are selected along Peel Region’s Strategic Goods Movement Network and left-turning swept path analyses are performed using AutoTurn. A microsimulation of the intersections is developed, where the existing network is modeled in Vissim while LCVs are added as potential road users. The Surrogate Safety Assessment Model is then used to analyze the microsimulation results pertaining to potential collisions. It was found that existing last-mile infrastructure is ill-equipped to accommodate LCVs and requires adjustments for future LCV use.
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