Gap Acceptance Capacity for Right Turns at Signalized Intersections

The capacity for right turns into gaps at signalized intersections, through right turn on red (RTOR) and free rights (with yield control), is examined. Current treatments provided by the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), SIDRA, and a stop sign analogy (SSA) are examined. An adjustment to the SSA to eliminate capacity from gaps greater than the unsaturated flow period of the conflicting traffic is then described. The capacity for right turns into gaps is measured through a field study of seven right-turn-only lanes. The measured capacities are then compared with predicted capacities from the SSA and the adjusted stop sign analogy (ASSA). The data indicate that the HCM procedure to estimate RTOR volumes may not properly estimate those volumes. The SSA procedure tends to overestimate right-turn capacity by ignoring the effect of short phase lengths. The ASSA procedure provides lower estimates of capacity than the SSA, but may underestimate capacity. The results of the study can significantly increase the accuracy and usefulness of signalized intersection analysis by helping to answer questions about right-turn capacity, which now cannot be adequately addressed.