Analysis of Destination Lane Choice at Urban Intersections

In some states in the U.S., it is required by law that drivers use a designated destination lane at intersections, so as to avoid a potential collision with another concurrent turning movement; however, none of the popular microscopic traffic simulation tools consider that drivers do not always select the designated destination lane. This research makes use of two Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) arterial street data sets in order to perform a comparative analysis of drivers' destination lane choice behavior, specifically for left turns. The model accurately predicts when drivers choose lane 1 as their destination lane and performs poorly when predicting lanes 2 or 3 as their destination lane. This model may be incorporated into microscopic traffic simulation tools in order to improve the safety of urban intersections. Furthermore, the model illustrates the need for policy improvements at intersections, specifically as it relates to designated destination lanes