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The document discusses passing sight distance, which is the length of roadway a driver needs to see to safely pass a slower vehicle. It defines four components that make up passing sight distance: the distance to perceive and start passing, the distance traveled while passing, the clearance distance upon returning to the right lane, and the distance an oncoming vehicle travels during passing. Formulas and a diagram are provided to calculate required passing sight distance based on roadway speeds.

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23 views

AutoCAD Notes

The document discusses passing sight distance, which is the length of roadway a driver needs to see to safely pass a slower vehicle. It defines four components that make up passing sight distance: the distance to perceive and start passing, the distance traveled while passing, the clearance distance upon returning to the right lane, and the distance an oncoming vehicle travels during passing. Formulas and a diagram are provided to calculate required passing sight distance based on roadway speeds.

Uploaded by

panashekadangobt2201
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Passing Sight Distance

While passing is not an event that is a major factor in the


design of four-lane highways, it is a critical component of
two-lane highway design. The capacity of a two-lane roadway
is greatly increased if a large percentage of the roadway's
length can be used for passing. On the other hand, providing
a sufficient passing sight distance over large portions of the
roadway can be very expensive.

Simply put, the passing sight distance is the length of


roadway that the driver of the passing vehicle must be able to
see initially, in order to make a passing maneuver safely.

Our real goal is to provide most drivers with a sight distance


that gives them a feeling of safety and that encourages them
to pass slower vehicles.

Calculating the passing sight distance required for a given


roadway is best accomplished using a simple model. The
model that is normally used incorporates three vehicles, and
is based on six assumptions:

1.) The vehicle being passed travels at a constant speed


throughout the passing maneuver.
2.) The passing vehicle follows the slow vehicle into the
passing section.
3.) Upon entering the passing section, the passing vehicle
requires some time to perceive that the opposing lane is
clear and to begin accelerating.
4.) While in the left lane, the passing vehicle travels at an
average speed that is 10 mph faster than the vehicle being
passed.
5.) An opposing vehicle is coming toward the passing
vehicle.
6.) There is an adequate clearance distance between the
passing vehicle and the opposing vehicle when the passing
vehicle returns to the right lane.

Under these assumptions, the passing sight distance can be


divided into four quantifiable portions:

d1 -- The distance the passing vehicle travels while


contemplating the passing maneuver, and while accelerating
to the point of encroachment on the left lane.
d2 -- The length of roadway that is traversed by the passing
vehicle while it occupies the left lane.
d3 -- The clearance distance between the passing vehicle and
the opposing vehicle when the passing vehicle returns to the
right lane.
d4 -- The distance that the opposing vehicle travels during the
final 2/3 of the period when the passing vehicle is in the left
lane.

Because the purpose of these specific distances might not


be obvious at this point, a short discussion of each of these
distances can be found below. In addition, figure 1.0 below
gives a graphical explanation of these distances.

Figure 1.0: Diagram of Passing Sight Distance Components


Source: AASHTO, 1994

d1
The perception-reaction-acceleration distance isn't hard to
understand or to justify. The only aspect of this distance that
might be confusing is the simultaneous nature of the
perception and acceleration. Some drivers will begin
accelerating before they enter the passing section and will
continue to accelerate while they scan the opposing lane for
traffic. These drivers tend to accelerate at a reduced
rate. Other drivers will avoid accelerating until they have
determined that the opposing lane is clear, but they will
accelerate at a higher rate once they have decided to
pass. The net effect is that the perception-reaction-
acceleration distance is identical for both types of
drivers. The distance d1 and the corresponding time t1 were
measured for several different passing vehicle speeds. More
recent research has confirmed that the accepted values are
conservative. See table 1.0.

d2
The distance traveled during the occupancy of the left lane is
also easy to understand. Since the speed of the passing
vehicle was assumed to be 10 mph faster than the overtaken
vehicle, all we need to know to calculate the distance d2 is
the time that the passing vehicle occupies the left
lane. Values for this time interval were measured for several
different passing vehicle speeds. These measured values
were then used to develop design values for d2. See table
1.0.

d3
The clearance distance might not seem necessary at first,
but for now let’s take it on faith that an opposing vehicle is
necessary. If this is the case, a maneuver that feels safe will
require that a certain length of roadway is present between
the passing vehicle and the opposing vehicle when the
passing vehicle returns to the relative safety of the right
lane. The clearance distance that drivers require depends on
their personality. A timid driver might require several hundred
feet of clearance distance, while a more aggressive driver
might consider exchanging side mirrors a perfectly
acceptable practice. Studies have shown that the clearance
distance is normally between 100 and 300 feet. See table
1.0.

d4
The opposing vehicle encroachment distance is the distance
that seems to be the most troubling for students. Let us
picture a passing section that is terminated by a sharp
reduction in grade, which prevents the passing driver from
seeing any vehicles beyond the end of the passing
section. Let us also assume that the length of the passing
section is equal to the sum of the distances d1 and d2. Our
passing vehicle driver could pass the slower vehicle before
leaving the passing section, but she might be flirting with
destiny in doing so. Her principal problem is that she can't
see if there are any opposing vehicles beyond the passing
section that might conflict with her during the maneuver.

The question now is, how much extra sight distance would
she need to feel secure that an opposing vehicle would not
conflict with her while she is in the left lane? If we assume
that she can abort her maneuver if an opposing vehicle
appears during the interval t1 or during the first third of the
interval t2, we can reduce the sight distance that we need to
provide.

Let’s say that we make the passing section length equal to


the passing sight distance as defined in reality (d = d1 + d2 +
d3 + d4). If an opposing vehicle appears just after the first
third of the interval t2 is over, the passing car can still safely
pass the slower car and return to the right lane before the
opposing car becomes a threat. This is because the
opposing vehicle is a distance 2/3*d2 +d3 + d4 away from
the passing vehicle. By the time that the passing vehicle has
traveled the remaining 2/3*d2 and returned to the right lane,
the opposing car will have traveled d4, and the clearance
distance d3 will separate them. This is why we add the
distances d3 and d4 to the passing sight distance. The
distance d4 is calculated by multiplying the speed of the
opposing vehicle (normally assumed to be the speed of the
passing vehicle) by 2/3*t2.

The table below summarizes the results of field observations


directed toward quantifying the various aspects of the
passing sight distance (AASHTO, 1994).

50- 66- 81- 96-


Speed Group (km/h)
65 80 95 110
Average Passing Speed (km/h) 56.2 70.0 84.5 99.8
Initial Maneuver:
Average acceleration (km/h/s) 2.25 2.30 2.37 2.41
Time (s) 3.6 4.0 4.3 4.5
Distance Traveled (m) 45 65 90 110

Occupation of the Left Lane:


Time (s) 9.3 10.0 10.7 11.3
Distance Traveled (m) 145 195 250 315
Clearance Length:
Distance Traveled (m) 30 55 75 90
Opposing Vehicle:
Distance Traveled (m) 95 130 165 210

Total Distance (m) 315 445 580 725

Now that we know how to calculate the required passing


sight distance, how do we calculate the actual passing sight
distance that we have provided in our geometric design? To
do this, we simply assume that the driver's eyes are at a
height of 3.5 ft from the road surface and the opposing
vehicle is 4.25 ft tall. The actual passing sight distance is the
length of roadway ahead over which an object 4.25 ft tall
would be visible, if your eyes were at an elevation of 3.5 ft.

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