STUDIES ON OPTIMUM TIME AND PATH SECTIONS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF TRAFFIC FLOW

UNTERSUCHUNGEN UEBER ZWECKMAESSIGE ZEIT- UND WEGABSCHNITTE ZUR ERFASSUNG DES VERKEHRSABLAUFS

AN EARLIER PROJECT ENTITLED "OBSERVATION OF BUNCHING FLOWS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD OF MEASURING THE FLOW OF LINES OF VEHICLES ON ROADS" (F.A.3.53, IRRD NUMBER 032735) ATTEMPTED TO CALCULATE THE ALTERATION IN TRAFFIC CONCENTRATION OR TRAFFIC DENSITY OVER PATH AND TIME BY MEANS OF CONTINUUM THEORY, AND TO COMPARE THE RESULTS OF THE CALCULATIONS WITH OBSERVATIONS. THE RESULT WAS NOT SATISFACTORY, BECAUSE CONTINUUM THEORY DEMANDS CERTAIN PREREQUISITES WHICH ARE SELDOM FOUND IN PRACTICE. ANOTHER METHOD IS THEREFORE PROPOSED. STARTING FROM THE FACT THAT EVEN FOR THE CONTINUUM THEORY THERE ARE MATHEMATICAL FACTORS WHICH ALLOW AN EXTENSION OF THE BASIC PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION, THUS ELIMINATING SOME OF THE RESTRICTIVE PREREQUISITES, IT IS INTENDED TO RESTRUCTURE THE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION WITH VARIABLE PATH SECTIONS DELTA X AND TIME SECTIONS DELTA T. BY COMPARING THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND THE RESULTS OF MEASUREMENTS AN ATTEMPT IS TO BE MADE TO QUANTIFY DISTURBING ELEMENTS IN RELATION TO DEFINED TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. BOTH A SIMULATION MODEL OF DIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC AND A FIXED OBSERVATION SECTION OF THE BRUCHSAL-KARLSRUHE MOTORWAY ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE TEST.