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TRANSIT
TCRP
SYNTHESIS 79
COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Sponsored by
Light Rail Vehicle Collisions with the Federal
Vehicles at Signalized Intersections Transit Administration
A Synthesis of Transit Practice
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TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2009 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
SELECTION COMMITTEE*
CHAIR OFFICERS
ROBERT I. BROWNSTEIN
AECOM Consult, Inc. Chair: Debra L. Miller, Secretary, Kansas DOT, Topeka
Vice Chair: Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California,
MEMBERS Berkeley
ANN AUGUST Executive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
Santee Wateree Regional Transportation
Authority MEMBERS
JOHN BARTOSIEWICZ
McDonald Transit Associates J. BARRY BARKER, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
MICHAEL BLAYLOCK ALLEN D. BIEHLER, Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT, Harrisburg
Jacksonville Transportation Authority JOHN D. BOWE, President, Americas Region, APL Limited, Oakland, CA
LINDA J. BOHLINGER
LARRY L. BROWN, SR., Executive Director, Mississippi DOT, Jackson
HNTB Corp.
RAUL BRAVO DEBORAH H. BUTLER, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern
Raul V. Bravo & Associates Corporation, Norfolk, VA
GREGORY COOK WILLIAM A.V. CLARK, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Veolia Transportation DAVID S. EKERN, Commissioner, Virginia DOT, Richmond
TERRY GARCIA CREWS NICHOLAS J. GARBER, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Civil Engineering,
StarTran University of Virginia, Charlottesville
NATHANIEL P. FORD, JR.
SF Municipal Transportation Agency
JEFFREY W. HAMIEL, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Minneapolis, MN
KIM R. GREEN EDWARD A. (NED) HELME, President, Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington, DC
GFI GENFARE WILL KEMPTON, Director, California DOT, Sacramento
JILL A. HOUGH SUSAN MARTINOVICH, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City
North Dakota State University MICHAEL D. MEYER, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia
ANGELA IANNUZZIELLO Institute of Technology, Atlanta
ENTRA Consultants MICHAEL R. MORRIS, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments,
JOHN INGLISH
Utah Transit Authority
Arlington
JEANNE W. KRIEG NEIL J. PEDERSEN, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority PETE K. RAHN, Director, Missouri DOT, Jefferson City
DAVID A. LEE SANDRA ROSENBLOOM, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
Connecticut Transit TRACY L. ROSSER, Vice President, Corporate Traffic, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, AR
CLARENCE W. MARSELLA ROSA CLAUSELL ROUNTREE, Consultant, Tyrone, GA
Denver Regional Transportation District HENRY G. (GERRY) SCHWARTZ, JR., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO
GARY W. MCNEIL
GO Transit
C. MICHAEL WALTON, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of
MICHAEL P. MELANIPHY Texas, Austin
Motor Coach Industries LINDA S. WATSON, CEO, LYNXCentral Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando
FRANK OTERO STEVE WILLIAMS, Chairman and CEO, Maverick Transportation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
PACO Technologies
KEITH PARKER EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Charlotte Area Transit System
JEFFREY ROSENBERG THAD ALLEN (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Amalgamated Transit Union REBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute,
MICHAEL SCANLON Smyrna, GA
San Mateo County Transit District PAUL R. BRUBAKER, Research and Innovative Technology Administrator, U.S.DOT
BEVERLY SCOTT GEORGE BUGLIARELLO, President Emeritus and University Professor, Polytechnic Institute of
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
New York University, Brooklyn; Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering,
JAMES S. SIMPSON
FTA Washington, DC
JAMES STEM SEAN T. CONNAUGHTON, Maritime Administrator, U.S.DOT
United Transportation Union CLIFFORD C. EBY, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.DOT
FRANK TOBEY LEROY GISHI, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department
First Transit of the Interior, Washington, DC
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS EDWARD R. HAMBERGER, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
WILLIAM W. MILLAR JOHN H. HILL, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
APTA JOHN C. HORSLEY, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway
ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR. and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
TRB CARL T. JOHNSON, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
JOHN C. HORSLEY DAVID KELLY, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
AASHTO SHERRY E. LITTLE, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT
THOMAS J. MADISON, JR.
FHWA THOMAS J. MADISON, JR., Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT
WILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
TDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROBERT A. STURGELL, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT
LOUIS SANDERS ROBERT L. VAN ANTWERP (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General,
APTA U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
SECRETARY
CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS
TRB
*Membership as of November 2008. *Membership as of January 2009.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP SYNTHESIS 79
Light Rail Vehicle Collisions with
Vehicles at Signalized Intersections
A Synthesis of Transit Practice
CONSULTANTS
KELLEY KLAVER PECHEUX
Science Applications International Corporation
McLean, Virginia
and
HARRY SAPORTA
PB Americas, Inc.
Washington, D.C.
S UBJECT A REAS
Public Transit
Research Sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in Cooperation with
the Transit Development Corporation
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2009
www.TRB.org
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM TCRP SYNTHESIS 79
The nation's growth and the need to meet mobility, environ- Project J-7, Topic SA-20
mental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit ISSN 1073-4880
systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of ISBN 978-0-309-09821-2
upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, Library of Congress Control Number 2008908987
and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is nec- © 2008 Transportation Research Board
essary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate new
technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations
into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Pro-
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION
gram (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the
transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for
meet demands placed on it. obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce
Report 213--Research for Public Transit: New Directions, pub-
material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes.
lished in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Federal Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be
Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, or Transit
Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product, method, or
recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document
modeled after the longstanding and successful National Coopera- for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment
tive Highway Research Program, undertakes research and other of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the
technical activities in response to the needs of transit service provid- material, request permission from CRP.
ers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research
fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, fa-
cilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and ad- NOTICE
ministrative practices. The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Coop-
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. erative Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board
Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Coun-
authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Effi- cil. Such approval reflects the Governing Board's judgment that the project
ciency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum concerned is appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of
agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the National Research Council.
the three cooperating organizations: FTA, the National Academy of The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this
Sciences, acting through the Transportation Research Board project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly com-
(TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a petence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropri-
ate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are
nonprofit educational and research organization established by
those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they
APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent govern- have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not nec-
ing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selec- essarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the Transit Develop-
tion (TOPS) Committee. ment Corporation, the National Research Council, or the Federal Transit
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodi- Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
cally but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical
the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the re- panel according to procedures established and monitored by the Trans-
search program by identifying the highest priority projects. As portation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board
part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding of the National Research Council.
levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, ap-
pointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests The Transportation Research Board of The National Academies, the
for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance Transit Development Corporation, the National Research Council, and the
and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for Federal Transit Administration (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative
developing research problem statements and selecting research Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or
manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are considered
agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative re-
essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.
search programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP
project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired impact if products
fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on
disseminating TCRP results to the intended end users of the re- Published reports of the
search: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice,
and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. are available from:
APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and Transportation Research Board
other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban Business Office
and rural transit industry practitioners. 500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can coop-
eratively address common operational problems. The TCRP results and can be ordered through the Internet at
http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
support and complement other ongoing transit research and train-
ing programs. Printed in the United States of America
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol-
ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology
and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in
1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni-
cal matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration
and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for
advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs
aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve-
ments of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the
services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining
to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of
Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative,
to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the
Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate
the broad community of science and technology with the Academys í p urposes of furthering knowledge and
advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad-
emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences
and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scien-
tific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Insti-
tute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively,
of the National Research Council.
The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The
mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and
progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisci-
plinary, and multimodal. The Board's varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and
other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of
whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation depart-
ments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org
www.national-academies.org
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TCRP COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT J-7 COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF
CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
CHAIR CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research
DWIGHT A. FERRELL Programs
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority GWEN CHISHOLM SMITH, Senior Program Officer
EILEEN P. DELANEY, Director of Publications
MEMBERS
DEBRA W. ALEXANDER TCRP SYNTHESIS STAFF
Capital Area Transportation Authority, Lansing, MI STEPHEN R. GODWIN, Director for Studies and Special Programs
MARK W. FURHMANN JON M. WILLIAMS, Associate Director, IDEA and Synthesis Studies
Metro TransitMinneapolis/St. Paul DONNA L. VLASAK, Senior Program Officer
ROBERT H. IRWIN DON TIPPMAN, Editor
Consultant, Calgary, AB, Canada CHERYL Y. KEITH, Senior Program Assistant
DONNA KELSAY
San Joaquin Regional Transit District, Stockton, CA TOPIC PANEL
PAUL J. LARROUSSE DENNIS EYLER, SRF Consulting, Minneapolis, MN
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey DWIGHT A. FERRELL, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
WADE LAWSON RUFUS FRANCIS, Sacramento Regional Transit District
South Jersey Transportation Authority, Atlantic City, NJ RONGFANG "RACHEL" LIU, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
DAVID A. LEE Newark
Connecticut Transit, Hartford, CT REGINALD MASON, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris
FRANK T. MARTIN County Texas, Houston
PBS&J, Tallahassee, FL JOSEPH NORTH, New Jersey Transit Authority, Newark
DAVID PHELPS PETER SHAW, Transportation Research Board
LTK Engineering Services, Moneta, VA HENRY A. NEJAKO, Federal Transit Authority (Liaison)
HAYWARD M. SEYMORE, III MARTIN SCHROEDER, American Public Transportation
Q Straint, University Place, WA Association (Liaison)
PAM WARD
Ottumwa Transit Authority, Ottumwa, IA
JOEL R. WASHINGTON
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC
FTA LIAISON
LISA COLBERT
Federal Transit Administration
TRB LIAISON
PETER SHAW
Transportation Research Board
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FOREWORD Transit administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which in-
formation already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and
practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a conse-
quence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to
bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be
overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solv-
ing or alleviating the problem.
There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the transit industry. Much
of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their
day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such use-
ful information and to make it available to the entire transit community, the Transit Co-
operative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee author-
ized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study,
TCRP Project J-7, "Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Problems," searches out
and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise,
documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute a TCRP re-
port series, Synthesis of Transit Practice.
This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format,
without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each re-
port in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those meas-
ures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.
PREFACE The objective of this synthesis is to report on the mitigation methods tested and used by
By Donna Vlasak transit agencies to reduce collisions between light rail vehicles (LRVs) and motor vehicles
Senior Program Officer where light rail transit (LRT) runs through or adjacent to highway intersections controlled
Transportation by conventional traffic signals. A particular focus is placed on collisions occurring between
Research Board LRVs and vehicles making left-hand turns at these intersections. The synthesis offers suc-
cess stories and specific actions taken to achieve positive results, as well as examples of
unsuccessful actions. The issues addressed include a range of LRT operations and envi-
ronments such as median-running, side-running, contra-flow, and mixed-use LRT align-
ments; urban and suburban setting; and a variety of U.S. geographic regions.
This report was accomplished through a review of the relevant literature and surveys of
LRT systems that took the form of structured telephone interviews. This was done, as
directed by the expert topic panel, to obtain more detailed and comprehensive information
about particular items and to allow the consultants to probe deeper for more complete
responses. With the population for the synthesis survey being only 15 LRT systems, the
consultants and expert topic panel members agreed that this would be the best approach.
Kelley Klaver Pecheux, Science Applications International Corporation, McLean, Vir-
ginia, and Harry Saporta, PB Americas, Inc., Washington, D.C., collected and synthesized
the information and wrote the paper, under the guidance of a panel of experts in the subject
area. The members of the Topic Panel are acknowledged on the preceding page. This syn-
thesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable
within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress
in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.
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CONTENTS
1 SUMMARY
3 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Objective, 3
Technical Approach, 3
Synthesis Organization, 4
6 CHAPTER TWO COLLISIONS BETWEEN LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES AND
MOTOR VEHICLES AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
Light Rail Transit Alignment Through Signalized Intersections, 6
Problems Between Light Rail Vehicles and Motor Vehicles
at Signalized Intersections, 7
Role of the Motorist in Light Rail VehicleMotor Vehicle Collisions, 8
Types of Collisions Occurring Between Light Rail Vehicles and Motor Vehicles at
Signalized Intersections, 8
Common Light Rail VehicleMotor Vehicle Collision Scenarios, 9
11 CHAPTER THREE COUNTERMEASURES TO MITIGATE COLLISIONS
BETWEEN LIGHT RAIL VEHICLES AND MOTOR
VEHICLES AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS
Physical Barriers, 11
Traffic Signs, 13
Signal Displays, 17
Traffic Signal Phasing, 18
Pavement Markings and/orTreatments, 19
Public Outreach and Education, 19
Enforcement, 20
Other, 21
23 CHAPTER FOUR CASE STUDIES
Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon--MAX Light Rail, 23
Denver Regional Transportation District, 24
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO)--Houston,
Texas, 26
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority--Metro Blue Line, 27
Maryland Transit Administration--Central Light Rail Line, 28
New Jersey Transit, 29
Sacramento Regional Transit District, 30
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 31
Valley Metro (Phoenix), 32
33 CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS
Summary of Results, 33
Conclusions, 33
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38 REFERENCES
39 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE
40 APPENDIX B LIST OF PARTICIPATING TRANSIT AGENCIES
