PURPOSES: Recently, many local governments have applied chicanes for traffic calming to ensure environment-friendly comfortable and safe roads. However, the geometry of a chicane is designed for speed reduction using a curved portion. This study aims to improve the road geometry conditions of chicanes for reducing carbon emissions and maintaining appropriate driving speeds by considering the relationship between road geometry and carbon emissions.
METHODS: This study was conducted as follows. First, carbon emissions corresponding to changing acceleration of vehicles were studied. Second, vehicle acceleration caused by the relationship between the curve radius and the straight length was studied. Accordingly, desirable conditions of curve radius and length of the straight section for reducing carbon emissions were proposed.
RESULTS: The existing literature on chicanes present the minimum value of stagger length and path angle in the primary variable condition. This study suggests the maximum values of the curve radius and length of straight section in the primary variable condition. Therefore, if a vehicle’s speed at a chicane is 30 km/h, this study suggests a curve radius of up to 24 m. In addition, if the vehicle’s speed is 24 km/h, this study suggests a length of straight section of up to 6.6 m. These are the geometric conditions for considering the control of acceleration to the vehicle’s maximum speed.
CONCLUSIONS: This paper proposes an application of geometric conditions to reduce carbon emissions and maintain appropriate speeds of vehicles through a combination of curve radius and length of straight section.
PURPOSES : The lack of details of guidelines on how to install the Chicane for traffic calming leads the practical difference across the calming areas, so the benefits expected from these facilities are not hardly observed. In this context, this study analysed the relationship between the geometric design alternatives of Chicane with the dynamic behaviour of vehicles in terms of speed and trajectory. METHODS : The study analysed vehicle dynamic behaviour using dynamic analysis program Auto-Turn under various geometric conditions of Chicane. RESULTS : This study suggested the design alternatives of Chicane using terms such as "longitudinal displacement value", "lateral displacement value", etc. which are defined in the study. The suggested combination set is fulfilling the desired or target speed of vehicles and clearance between vehicle and roadside at the same time. CONCLUSIONS : The results from this study can be applied to install Chicane corresponding to the local condition where target speed is 30km/h. The study showed the design alternatives of chicane corresponding to the given road cross-sectional design and clearance to roadside for passenger cars and light truck respectively.