A METHOD TO ESTIMATING THE TURNING CONDITION OF SPECIAL VEHICLES AT INTERSECTIONS

Abstract

Vehicles exceeding the general limits of vehicle regulations are classified as special vehicles and must obtain transit permits after a pre-assessment of intersection turning feasibility. Typically, these processes are manually conducted, leading to high administrative costs and reduced productivity in the transportation industry. This study proposes a method to semi-automatically determine turning conditions at intersections using aerial photographs taken for general purposes. The proposed method comprises both macroscopic and microscopic modules, and the turning conditions are judged by integrating both results to ensure judgment accuracy and redundancy. Validation on actual intersections revealed that while the macroscopic module had a higher overall accuracy, the microscopic module performed better in reducing false positives which may cause incident. These results suggest that the complementarity of both modules effectively works for the secure judgement. By automating parts of the assessment process, this approach aims to significantly reduce administrative burdens and improve the productivity of transportation operations, offering a practical solution to the challenges posed by the current manual procedures. This study's findings highlight the potential for technological integration to streamline special vehicle permitting and enhance overall efficiency in the transportation sector.