Understanding lane encroachment using a LIDAR measurement device

This study described the development of a device for measuring the lateral passing distance to vehicles. The device was evaluated in both laboratory and field settings. In the lab, the device was shown to consistently and accurately determine the distance to static objects and a moving vehicle. In the field, the device was deployed onto the side of an urban road to detect the number of vehicles which encroach into a bicycle lane. Comparisons to a video recording at the same location showed that the device was able to determine the number of passing vehicles encroachments into the bicycle lane.