Title

20 Years of Flashing Yellow Arrows

Abstract

Perhaps the most significant safety and operational element in signalized intersection operation is simultaneous movements which cross paths, specifically, left-turn movements. Since National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 493 recommended that a flashing yellow arrow (FYA) permissive indication be included within the MUTCD, the FYA has continually increased in use across the US. This seminar will discuss various facets of the FYA, including driver comprehension, crash analytics, operational attributes (e.g. right turns, clearance intervals, etc) and several ongoing questions related to the FYA implementation.

Presentation

Dr. Knodler's Presentation - to be added

Speaker Bio

Dr. Michael Knodler is the William W. Boyer Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Professor Knodler is also the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs in the College of Engineering. Additionally, he is Director of the UMass Transportation Center, which includes the Bay State Roads Program, the Massachusetts Cooperative Research Program and the University of Massachusetts Traffic Safety Research Program (UMassSAFE) and is Co-Director of the Arbella Insurance Human Performance Laboratory (HPL). He is also the Director of USDOT’s Region 1 – New England University Transportation Center, which is focused upon advancing equitable transportation safety. His main areas of research and teaching are related to transportation safety, operations, design, and education. . He has actively worked on over a dozen flashing yellow arrow (FYA) research projects spanning more than 20 years, including the original NCHRP 3-54 project that led towards inclusion of the FYA in the MUTCD.

Speaker Headshot