Comparison of drivers’ visibility at signalized intersections with different traffic lights locations

Abstract

Drivers’ behaviors management is one of the most important aspects of signalized intersection design. Signal head placement causes differences at the start-up as well as stopping and crossing behaviors from perspectives of safety, ergonomics and performance. The research discusses visibility conditions and blockage of signal heads by leading vehicles based on practices in USA, Japan, Russia, UK, France and Germany. As a result, it was found that near side signal head placement at the vicinity of stop line may result in lower performance in vehicles’ start-up due to worse signal visibility. In contrast, far side strategy sometimes generates unsafe conditions in signal blockage scenario.