Abstract Manager

This study investigates the operational impacts of integrating a Dedicated Truck Lane for Left-turn movements (DTLL) and Freight Signal Priority (FSP) techniques on traffic flows along urban arterial roads. A micro-simulation model using Vissim was developed to replicate and simulate traffic flow conditions at 32 signalized intersections along a 19.2km corridor in the Region of Peel, Ontario. Along the corridor, freight vehicles account for approximately 15% of the total vehicular traffic, while passenger vehicles consist of the remaining 85%. Within the freight vehicles, 5% are classified as Long Combination Vehicles (LCV), with the rest being comprised of single unit trucks. To assess the operational impact of FSP and DTLL, this study used four models for comparative analysis. Model 1 represents the 'do-nothing' scenario, Model 2 corresponds to the FSP scenario, Model 3 involves the application of the DTLL scenario, and Model 4 is the combined application of both Models 2 and 3. The measure of effectiveness includes the travel time for all transportation modes, such as passenger vehicles and freight vehicles. The travel times for freight vehicles are calculated by consolidating the measures for both LCVs and single unit trucks. The findings indicate a significant reduction in average travel times per passenger vehicle for Model 2, Model 3 and Model 4 in comparison to Model 1 (Do-nothing scenario). Model 2 confirms a reduction of 2.97 minutes (1.2%) travel time for each passenger vehicle, where Model 3 shows a 5.2 minutes (2.1%) reduction, and Model 4 shows 6.2 minutes (2.5%) reduction per passenger vehicle compared to Model 1. Freight travel time in Model 4 is reduced by 2.2% per vehicle, resulting in a time saving of 5.3 minutes per freight vehicle. In comparison to Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3 showed a travel time reduction of 3.02 and 3.34 minutes for each freight vehicle, respectively. The overall travel time of the corridor shows a 1.3% travel time reduction for Model 2, a 1.6% travel time reduction for Model 3, and a 2.3% reduction of travel time for Model 4 when comparing to Model 1. The study concludes that the simultaneous application FSP and DTLL significantly enhances traffic efficiency across all modes of transportation, with a substantial positive impact on freight operations.

Keywords: Freight Operation, Dedicated Truck Lane, Freight Signal Priority, Traffic Simulation, PTV VISSIM