Planning for Movement of Very Large, Slow‐Moving Vehicles

Abstract

This paper presents a slow‐moving‐vehicle (SMV) model for estimating vehicular delays and queuing. The model is a simplified version of a shock‐wave model for the case where passing is restricted. The main inputs of the model consist of traffic volume and speed of both the traffice stream and the slow‐moving vehicle. Model outputs include queue length and vehicular delay for a specific traffic flow and distance over which passing is restricted. The slow‐moving‐vehicle model was used to estimate vehicular delay and queue‐length buildup for a proposed system of truck turnouts on a two‐lane highway during the movement of large overdimensional loads. The paper includes a description of the truck‐turnout system on the high‐wide‐load corridor in northern Alberta, Canada. The slow‐moving‐vehicle model could also be used to develop a system of turnouts along two‐lane highways, which would limit vehicular delays and queue length to acceptable levels.