MERGE-LANE

In recent years, the braking and acceleration behavior of motor vehicles has changed significantly. On the one hand, there has been an increase in engine power, while on the other hand the efficiency of braking systems has been continuously improved. Furthermore, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of vehicles with electric drives. As a rule, these vehicles have even better braking and acceleration behavior than vehicles with exclusively combustion engines.

Within the scope of the research project, it is to be determined to what extent these changed vehicle characteristics influence the driving behavior of motor vehicle drivers. For example, it can be observed that especially in the case of acceleration lanes, the available length is not required in its entirety, since the turning vehicles can merge into the flowing traffic earlier. The same applies to deceleration and turning lanes, where it appears that the entire length of the lane is not needed for vehicles to slow down.

Minimizing land consumption is becoming increasingly important in the course of planning new roads and streets. A significant contribution to the reduction of sealed road surfaces can be made by optimizing the actual required lane lengths of entrance or exit lanes.

The research project is intended to show whether the current driving behavior of road users, taking into account the current vehicle characteristics and the physical conditions (wet road surface, slippery roads), can be used to derive a need for change in the design of the lengths of the deceleration and acceleration lanes. Furthermore, it will be shown under which conditions shorter acceleration lanes could be used on state and municipal roads. Subsequently, the results can be incorporated into an adaptation of the two relevant RVS.