Design of Ramps and Turning Roadways

TURNING ROADWAY is a connecting roadway for traffic turning between two legs of an intersection. RAMP is used to refer to all types of turning roadways that connect two or more legs of interchange. The principles for the design of open highways are generally applicable to the design of ramps and turning roadways. There are, of course, differences. The design speeds for turning roadway are considerably lower than for the open highway but should be as high as practicable.

Research has shown that drivers will operate on turning roadways at higher speed in relation to curvature than on the open highways. Thus, larger side-friction are used for the design. AASHTO recommends friction factors of 0.32, 0.23, 0.18 for the design of speeds of 15, 25, and 35 mph ( 24, 40, and 56 km/hr ) ,respectively . Compound and transition curves are recommended for turning roadways to more closely fit the natural path of vehicles. Where compound curves are used, it is preferred that the ratio of the flatter radius to the sharper radius not exceed 1.75.

Where that ratio exceeds 2, a spiral transition should be placed between the two curves. Gradients for turning roadways should be as flat as feasible and generally should not exceed 6 percent. Stopping sight distance should be provided for turning roadways.
Recommended widths of the turning roadways depend on the radius of curvature of the inner edge of the pavement, the class of design vehicle, and the type of operation. The recommended widths vary from 12 to 50 ft (3.6 to 15 m), depending on the condition.

DESIGN OF PARKING FACILITIES

Widespread parking problems exist in business districts, campuses, at airports, and in industrial areas and other highly developed locations. Shortage of parking spaces in close proximity to major traffic generators have worsened as automobile registrations have increased and more and more people opted to travel by automobile. Parking problems have been make worse in many cities as curb parking has been eliminated to improve traffic flow for the roadway.

A.

LOCATION OF OFF STREET PARKING FACILITIES

The most important aspect of parking facility planning and design is the choice of a site. Experience shown that an improperly located lot or garage is likely to fail or have limited use, even if located only a few blocks away from the center of parking demand. Most parkers are reluctant to walk even short distance from the parking location to their ultimate destination. The maximum walking distance a parker will tolerate depends on trip purpose, city size, and parking cost. In general terms, the smaller the city and the higher the parking cost, the less distance a parker is willing to walk.

Preferably, parking lots and garages should be located on or near major arterials; garages should have access to two or more streets. It also desirable that both lots and garages be accessed by right - hand turning movements. Safe and convenient pedestrian access to parking facilities should be provided. To lessen parkers fear for their personal security, pedestrian walkway should be well lighted, suitably marked, and free of blind corners.

B. LAYOUT OF PARKING LOTS AND GARAGES

Preferably, a parking lot or garage should be rectangular, with cars parked on both sides of access aisles. Parking sites should de wide enough to provide two or more bays approximately 60 ft (18m) wide. Relatively long aisles, preferably 250 ft (76 m) or longer, function well. Aisles running with the long dimension of the lot or garage provide a better search pattern and yield more spaces per unit area.

90 parking is generally used for two - way traffic. Right angled parking tends to require slightly less area per parked car than other configurations. Parking stalls oriented at angles of 45 and 75 to the aisles are often used with one way circulation. Where such an arrangement is used to serve a building along the end of a parking lot, drivers must circulate at least once next to the building entry or exit, causing more vehiclespedestrian conflict tan the two-way 90 arrangement.