Estimation of Roundabout Entry Capacity under the Impact of Pedestrians by Applying Microscopic Simulation. Issue 1 (January 2014) - Kang, Nan
Entry capacity is one of the most important indexes for performance evaluation of roundabouts. In addition to circulating vehicles, pedestrian flow is another key conflicting stream that has a significant impact on entry capacity. Pedestrian impact is considered by an adjustment factor in the Highway Capacity Manual 2010. However, this method is limited in estimating pedestrian impact by several influencing factors [e.g., pedestrian approaching side, farside pedestrian recognition rate (FPRR) of drivers, and physical splitter island] that are considered to be significant for representing the characteristics of the Japanese situation. The impacts of these influencing factors are examined by microscopic simulation in this study. Results from the simulation study showed that under the condition without a physical splitter island, entry capacity was reduced more significantly when more pedestrians were from the farside of the crosswalk, whereas capacity relatively increased with decreasing FPRR. Moreover, entry capacity was also increased after the installation of a physical splitter island. The significance and the necessity of a physical splitter island were demonstrated in this analysis for roundabout design and operation in Japan. This research also showed that those influencing factors (i.e., pedestrian approaching side, FPRR, and physical splitter island) should be considered in entry capacity estimation.