Journal of Transportation Research

Journal of Transportation Research

Assessing speed selection factors in urban entrance transition zones using a driving simulator

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Atefeh Hosseini 1
Hamid Reza Behnood 2
Batoul Sedaghati Shokri 3
1 M.Sc.,Grad., Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
3 Ph.D., Grad., Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.
10.22034/tri.2025.541636.3371
Abstract
Transition zones, which are usually found at the entrance to an urban area, are areas that connect higher speed areas to lower speed areas. The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors that affect the speed choices of drivers in transition areas at the entrance to cities. The simulated scenario was implemented in the driving simulator and repeated in eight stages, and in each stage, the engineering measures including the speed limit sign, the type of median, the shoulder lane, and the marginal parking changed. In this study, using multiple linear regression, the impact of each of the predictor variables (8 variables used including speed limit sign, median type, frontage road, marginal parking, driver age, driver gender, driver education level, and driving experience) on the target variable (average vehicle speed) has been examined. The results of entering data into the multiple linear regression model show that the stepwise method has the highest correlation coefficient (0.904). The results showed that all variables except frontage road and high-school/under high-school education are significant at the 5% level. Also, for every one unit change in the variables of male gender and age 20-28, there is a 2.759 and 3.832 unit change in average speed, respectively. The results also show that speed limit sign, marginal parking, median with yellow safety barrel, doctoral education, and driving experience of 26 to 33 years have a negative effect on average speed and reduce it; In such a way that for every one unit change in these variables, there is a change in average speed of -5.327, -1.351, -3.415, -0.894 and -1.182 units, respectively. Therefore, the existence of engineering measures for speed limit and median signs with yellow safety barrels reduces the tendency of drivers to increase speed and reduces their average speed.
Keywords
Speed choice
Urban entrance transition zones
Driving simulator
Stepwise regression
Subjects
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