Article
citation information:
Łopuszyński, M., Pendzich,
I. Need to use advance notice for urban public transport drivers. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of
Technology. Series Transport. 2018, 100,
81-90. ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2018.100.7.
Marcin ŁOPUSZYŃSKI[1],
Izabela PENDZICH2
NEED TO
USE ADVANCE NOTICE FOR URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT DRIVERS
Summary. The article presents
the results of a pilot survey conducted among public transport drivers,
including of buses and trolleybuses, in three cities in Poland. The research
was aimed at checking the existence of the need for advance notice systems
concerning traffic light signal changes. This issue was examined using
information on these drivers’ vehicles from countdown timers and traffic
lights other than those for the lane in which the vehicles were moving.
The respondents also indicated their proposals for advance notice systems
for traffic light signal changes.
Keywords: advance notice;
countdown timer; flashing green traffic light; urban public transport.
1. INTRODUCTION
The safety of traffic participants
at an intersection depends, among other things, on the correct organization of
traffic and on compliance with traffic regulations by drivers. However, is the
information provided by signs and traffic lights sufficient? The drivers of
urban public transport vehicles are struggling with the problem concerning the
higher inertia of buses, trolleybuses and trams compared to those driving cars
or vans in the city. In order to send advance notice to drivers of vehicles
approaching intersections, countdown timers and flashing green traffic lights
are used. The literature presents many studies on the impact of countdown
timers [4,6,7,8,10] on the safety and capacity of intersections, as well as
flashing green traffic lights [2,3]. Researchers also suggest other solutions,
such as poles, set up at a certain distance, sending advance notice that helps
the driver to make the right decision in the dilemma zone [1]. Published research
results indicate that the use of advance notice before traffic light signal
changes significantly increases stops in the dilemma zone and gentler braking
compared to the conditions prevailing at the intersections where such advance
notice does not exist. Of note are publications prepared on the basis of
research carried out in European countries such as Greece [5], Slovenia [6] and
Poland [7,8,9]. Studies carried out in Slovenia have also involved a survey
conducted among drivers of vehicles [6].
The research described in the
literature has been carried out mainly on the basis of observations of driving
behaviours using the technique of video recording. No publication was found
that examined the opinions of drivers of urban public transport on the subject
of advance notice systems for traffic light signal changes for vehicle drivers.
2. STUDYING URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT DRIVERS’
OPINIONS
2.1. Methodology
The current study consisted of conducting an anonymous
survey among urban public transport drivers. The questionnaire is presented in
Table 1. The research was carried out in Opole among bus drivers with the
municipal transport company in Rybnik, bus drivers from the Public Transport
Institution, drivers with the municipal transport company running trolleybuses
in Lublin. The questionnaire was presented in paper form.
Table 1
The
questionnaire used to conduct the study
|
|
|
1.
Do
you think that tricolour traffic lights in their present form is sufficient? YES NO 2.
Is
the notice given by traffic lights for trams/buses sufficient for you? YES NO
NOT APPLICABLE 3.
Is
the notice provided by traffic lights for the direction in which you intend
to move sufficient (I am not suggesting signals from other traffic
lights)? YES NO 4.
Do you
use information from other traffic lights to prepare the vehicle for start or
stop procedures except the traffic lights for your moving direction? YES NO 5.
Do
you use information from pedestrian traffic lights when driving an urban
public transport vehicle? YES NO 6.
Do
you take account of the notice from countdown timers? YES NO 7.
Do
you think that the flashing end of the green traffic light signal before it
turns yellow, as is the case, for example, in Austria, gives valuable
information to drivers? YES NO 8.
Do
you think that advance notice before an upcoming change from a red traffic
light signal to red-yellow is necessary? YES NO 9.
Do
you consider that advance notice before the approaching end of the green
traffic light signal is valuable? YES NO 10. How can, in your opinion, advance notice
before the end of a traffic light signal be sent?
…………..………………………………………………………………… 11. I am FEMALE MALE 12. I have worked as a driver of urban
public transport for .................. years. 13. I drive a BUS TRAM 14. Comments
………………………………………………………………………… |
|
|
2.2.
Results of survey carried out in Opole
Completed questionnaires were received from 100 bus
drivers, two of which were rejected due to ambiguous nature of the
respondents‘ answers. In some cases, respondents did not answer all the
questions, so the sum of responses may not be equal to the number of
questionnaires included. Despite the vast majority of respondents answered
Questions 1 to 5 with ‘YES’, it turned out that, in most cases,
respondents use information from countdown timers. This is evidenced by the
almost 100% response rate for Question 6. This is further confirmed by answers
to Questions 7-9 with a response rate of over 98%.
Table 2
Answers
to Questions 1-9 in Opole
|
Answer |
Question |
|
|||||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|||
|
Yes |
83 |
21 |
66 |
86 |
86 |
96 |
91 |
83 |
96 |
|
|
|
No |
14 |
7 |
25 |
12 |
12 |
2 |
6 |
13 |
2 |
|
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
60 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
85% |
21% |
67% |
88% |
88% |
98% |
93% |
85% |
98% |
|
|
|
No |
14% |
7% |
26% |
12% |
12% |
2% |
6% |
13% |
2% |
|
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
61% |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Respondents, on being asked to propose an
advance notice system for traffic light signal changes (Table 3), indicated
that a flashing end of the green traffic light signal in 11% of cases,
countdown timers in 38% of cases and both solutions in 12% of cases would be
helpful. In addition, three respondents indicated the need for a greater number
of green conditional ‘turn right’ arrows in the city of Opole.
Table
3
Answers to Question 10 in Opole
|
Answer |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal |
11 |
11% |
|
Countdown timers |
37 |
38% |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal and
countdown timers |
13 |
13% |
Among the examined persons, six were women
and 90 were men. Two people did not state their gender (Table 4).
Table 4
Gender of respondents in Opole
|
Gender |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Female |
6 |
6% |
|
Male |
90 |
92% |
The majority of the respondents were
people who have worked as drivers of urban public transport vehicles for under
five years. The second group comprised drivers who have worked for between five
and 10 years and between 15 and 25 years (Table 5).
Table 5
Experience
of respondents in Opole
|
Experience [years] |
||||||
|
<5 |
<10 |
<15 |
<20 |
<25 |
<30 |
>30 |
|
37 |
14 |
6 |
13 |
11 |
4 |
8 |
|
38% |
14% |
6% |
13% |
11% |
4% |
8 |
It is worth noting that countdown timers
are used in Opole at intersections through which public transport buses pass.
The conducted study indicated that there is a need for advance notice systems
for public transport drivers. The respondents indicated two solutions to this
problem. It is believed that this is due to the fact only these two solutions
were presented in the questionnaire.
2.3.
Results of survey carried out in Rybnik
Concerning the survey conducted in Rybnik,
62 completed questionnaires were submitted out of 80 urban public transport
vehicle drivers. Despite the affirmative answers to Question 6 regarding the
use of countdown timers, the bus drivers are not able to use this information
due to the lack of these devices at intersections in the city (Table 6).
Answers to the questions, however, unequivocally indicate that the bus drivers
are looking for additional information (advance notice) in order to make
decisions when they reach ab intersection with traffic lights.
Table 6
Answers
to Questions 1-9 in Rybnik
|
Answer |
Question |
|||||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
|
Yes |
34 |
17 |
40 |
45 |
45 |
32 |
54 |
57 |
58 |
|
|
No |
26 |
2 |
19 |
16 |
16 |
27 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
39 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
55% |
27% |
65% |
73% |
73% |
52% |
87% |
92% |
94% |
|
|
No |
42% |
3% |
31% |
26% |
26% |
44% |
11% |
6% |
5% |
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
63% |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Concerning the proposal for an advance
notice system, similar to the response from Opole drivers, they indicated that
countdown timers and the flashing end of green traffic light signals would be
useful (Table 7). The proposal was accepted by 17 people, or 28% of the
respondents.
Table
7
Answers to Question 10 in Rybnik
|
Answer |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal |
5 |
8% |
|
Countdown timers |
9 |
15% |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal and countdown timers |
3 |
5% |
The majority of the surveyed drivers were
women (56%). One person did not state their gender (Table 8).
Table 8
Gender of respondents in Rybnik
|
Gender |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Female |
7 |
11% |
|
Male |
53 |
85% |
The distribution of seniority is
noteworthy in the case of those surveyed in Rybnik. In four of the seven
ranges, there are 10 or 11 respondents, or 16% or 18% of respondents (Table 9).
Table 9
Experience
of respondents in Rybnik
|
Experience [years] |
||||||
|
<5 |
<10 |
<15 |
<20 |
<25 |
<30 |
>30 |
|
11 |
11 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
10 |
|
18% |
18% |
11% |
16% |
11% |
8% |
16% |
2.4.The
result of survey carried out in Lublin
Among the drivers of trolleybuses in Lublin, 68 people out of 230 were
surveyed. Lublin is the second city among those investigated in which no
countdown timers are installed at intersections. The respondents also indicated
the need for advance notice before traffic light signal changes (Table 10). The
problem referred to in Question 6, in the case of drivers from Rybnik,
concerned the lack of countdown timers in the city. The drivers who responded
affirmatively pointed to driving in other cities.
Table 10
Answers
to Questions 1-9 in Lublin
|
Answer |
Question |
|||||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
|
Yes |
51 |
8 |
50 |
62 |
64 |
35 |
62 |
62 |
64 |
|
|
No |
14 |
0 |
15 |
3 |
2 |
29 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
52 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
77% |
12% |
76% |
94% |
97% |
53% |
94% |
94% |
97% |
|
|
No |
21% |
0% |
23% |
5% |
3% |
44% |
6% |
6% |
3% |
|
|
Not applicable |
- |
79% |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
When
asked for a proposal for an advance notice system, the drivers from Lublin also
indicated countdown timers or the flashing end of traffic light signals (Table
11). 58% of respondents answered this question.
Table 11
Answer to Question 10 in Lublin
|
Answer |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal |
12 |
18% |
|
Countdown timers |
19 |
29% |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal and countdown timers |
7 |
11% |
The
vast majority of respondents were men (57), who constituted 86% of the
respondents, while seven were women; two people did not state their gender
(Table 12).
Table 12
Gender of respondents in Lublin
|
Gender |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Female |
7 |
11% |
|
Male |
57 |
86% |
Among the respondents, the largest group
(48%) comprised people with a seniority between 10 and 15 years (Table 13).
However, drivers with less than 10 years of experience were the second-largest
group of respondents at 27%.
Table 13
Experience of respondents in Lublin
|
Experience [years] |
||||||
|
<5 |
<10 |
<15 |
<20 |
<25 |
<30 |
>30 |
|
8 |
10 |
32 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
12% |
15% |
48% |
5% |
3% |
2% |
0% |
2.5. Summary
In total, 228 questionnaires were used for analysis, of which 160 were
surveys filled in by urban public bus drivers and 66 by trolleybus drivers.
Answers to Questions 4 and 5 clearly show that these drivers use more
information than that provided by traffic light, e.g., they observe pedestrian
signals (Table 14). In addition, they indicate the need for advance notice
before the end of both the green and the red phase of traffic light signals, as
evidenced by answers to Questions 8 and 9. In the cities where traffic lights
intended for public transport buses are not used, most of the answers to
Question 2 stated “not applicable”. The respondents were not
previously informed about the content of the survey. There was also no training
given on advance notice systems before traffic light signal changes, which
explains the 170 answers to the first question. Moving onto more specific
questions, respondents gave a negative answer to Question 1.
Table 14
Answers to Questions 1-9 in total
|
Answer |
Question |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|||||||||
|
Yes |
168 |
46 |
156 |
193 |
195 |
163 |
207 |
202 |
218 |
|
|||||||
|
No |
54 |
9 |
59 |
31 |
30 |
58 |
17 |
21 |
7 |
|
|||||||
|
Not applicable |
- |
151 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
Yes |
74% |
20% |
68% |
85% |
86% |
71% |
91% |
89% |
96% |
|
|||||||
|
No |
24% |
4% |
26% |
14% |
13% |
25% |
7% |
9% |
3% |
|
|||||||
|
Not applicable |
- |
66% |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|||||||
In the conducted research, 51% of the surveyed drivers presented
proposals for an advance notice system (Table 15). The accepted proposals were
the flashing end of green traffic light signals and countdown timer. It can be
concluded that these are well-known systems and give good results according to
the respondents.
Table
15
Answer to Question 10 in total
|
Answer |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal |
28 |
12% |
|
Countdown timers |
65 |
29% |
|
Flashing end of green traffic light signal and countdown timers |
23 |
10% |
Among
the respondents, 9% were women and 88% were men; six people did not state their
gender (Table 16).
Table 16
Gender of respondents in total
|
Gender |
Amount |
Percentage |
|
Female |
20 |
9% |
|
Male |
200 |
88% |
To sum up the seniority of the respondents, the largest group comprised
drivers with experience of under five years (Table 17). Those with a seniority
of under 15 years constituted 51% of respondents.
Table 17
Experience of respondents in total
|
Experience [years] |
||||||
|
<5 |
<10 |
<15 |
<20 |
<25 |
<30 |
>30 |
|
56 |
35 |
26 |
20 |
10 |
18 |
0 |
|
25% |
15% |
11% |
9% |
4% |
8% |
0% |
Comparing the percentage of respondents‘ proposals with the
breakdown in seniority intervals, Figure 1 was obtained. In order to obtain a
percentage share, the number of proposals, e.g., countdown timers, was divided
by the sum of all proposals in a given interval of seniority.
Fig. 1.
Percentage of survey proposals concerning advance notice systems before traffic
light signal changes according to work seniority intervals
3. CONCLUSION
The aim of the conducted research was a
pilot check of the opinions of urban public transport vehicles drivers on
advance notice before traffic light signal change. The research results clearly
indicate the need for this information, especially for drivers of urban public
transport vehicles, which are characterized by lower acceleration and
deceleration compared to cars. The drivers of this type of vehicles, before
deciding to stop the vehicle or to prepare it to move from place, observe the traffic
lights at an intersection if there are no countdown timers installed. While
conducting the survey were no other advance notice system presented the
respondents such as the use of the at a certain distance from intersection set
poles which send notice to drivers before traffic light signal change. It is
suggested to conduct a broader study on a larger sample of drivers, including
motorman of trams. In the comments of the respondents, they emphasized that
systems of advance notice before traffic light signal change have a big impact
on the safety of transported passengers.
References
1.
Gugerty L., S.E. McIntyre, D. Link, K. Zimmerman, D.
Tolani, P. Huang, R. Pokorny. 2014. “Effects of intelligent advanced
warnings on drivers negotiating the dilemma zone”. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
56(6): 1021-1035. DOI: 10.1177/0018720814525438.
2.
Jia-jun Shen, Wei Wang. 2015. “Effects of
flashing green on driver’s stop/go decision at signalized
intersection”. Journal of Central South
University 22(2): 771-778.
3.
Koll H., M. Bader, K.W. Axhuasen. 2004. “Driver
behavior during flashing green before amber: a comparative study”. Accident Analysis and Prevention 36:
273-280.
4.
Limanond T., P. Prabjabok, K. Tippayawong. 2010.
“Exploring impacts of countdown timers on traffic operations and driver
behavior at a signalized intersection in Bangkok”. Transport Policy 17: 420-427.
5.
Papaioannou P., I. Politis. 2014. “Preliminary
impact analysis of countdown signal timer installations at two intersections in
Greece”. Procedia Engineering
84: 634-647.
6.
Rijavec R., J. Zakovšek, T. Maher. 2013.
“Acceptability of countdown signals at an urban signalized intersection
and their influence on drivers behavior”. Promet - Traffic & Transportation 25(1): 63-71.
7.
Sobota A., M.J. Kłos, G. Karoń. 2016. “The influence of
countdown timers on the traffic safety of pedestrians and vehicles at the
signalized intersection”. Advances
in Intelligent Systems and Computing 505: 13-21.
8.
Warunki
techniczne elementów infrastruktury drogowej stosowanych w organizacji
ruchu na drogach (umowa nr DTD/KF/BDG-VIII-32018-U-103/14). Tom I. Prawne,
społeczno-ekonomiczne i techniczne uwarunkowania poprawy
bezpieczeństwa i warunków ruchu drogowego w odniesieniu do znaków
i sygnałów drogowych oraz urządzeń bezpieczeństwa
ruchu drogowego stosowanych w organizacji ruchu na drogach.
Część IV. Wyniki badań laboratoryjnych i empirycznych w
odniesieniu do proponowanych rozwiązań. Warszawa, 2015. [In Polish: Technical Conditions of Road Infrastructure
Components Used in Road Traffic Organization (Contract no. DTD / KF /
BDG-VIII-32018-U-103/14). Volume I. Legal, Socio-economic and Technical
Conditions for Improving Safety and Traffic Conditions in Relation to Road
Signs and Signals and Road Safety Devices Used in the Organization of Traffic
on Roads. Part IV. The Results of Laboratory and Empirical Tests in Relation to
the Proposed Solutions. Warsaw, 2015.]
9.
Jacyna M., J. Merkisz. “Proecological approach
to modelling traffic organization in national transport system”. Archives of Transport 2(30): 43-56.
10.
Fleurent C., S. Voß. 2011. “Public
transport: case studies and applications”. Public Transport 3(2): 105-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-011-0048-7.
Received 06.04.2018; accepted in revised form 29.08.2018
Scientific
Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License