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Sub-problem 4a - Page 2 of 5 |
ID# C204A02 |
Sub-problem 4a: Clifton
Country Road AM peak hour - Existing Conditions
Lane
Utilization
Lane utilization is an important issue on
all four approaches. In the case of the
eastbound approach, the I-87
southbound on-ramp is immediately downstream of the intersection. The right-hand-most through lane
is used far more than the other two.
There’s a secondary impact for drivers wanting to turn right who can’t
get into the auxiliary right-turn lane because the long queue blocks
access. For the westbound approach, the double left has unbalanced lane
use. The innermost lane is sometimes blocked by the outer one. Traffic
tends to use the outer lane because it leads to the Shoppers World Plaza
and some convenience stores. In the case of the northbound approach, the
double left has balanced lane use. The
right-most lane leads to stores on the north side of Route 146 just west
of the intersection, but there are also drivers who want to continue west,
so both lanes see substantial use. For
the southbound approach, the lane use is
not necessarily unbalanced, but the lane use designations are complex (left, left/through,
and through/right). We will study that approach separately.
Exhibit 2-40 shows the differences between including and not including lane
utilization. The utilization values employed by movement are shown in the
bottom line of the table.
In
Dataset
32 (the base case) and
Dataset
33 (no lane utilization) the impact is
substantial for the eastbound throughs. With the lane utilization
included, that movement has a delay of 28.6 seconds per vehicle. Without
it, the delay is only 22.5 seconds per vehicle, a 27% difference.
