VEHICUALR TUNNEL TRAFFIC FLOW CONTROL

AN OPERATIONAL VEHICULAR TUNNEL TRAFFIC FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM IS DESCRIBED. USING PHOTOCONDUCTIVE CELLS AS VEHICLE DETECTORS IN THE LINCOLN TUNNEL SOUTH TUBE AND A FIXED LOGIC HARDWARE CONTROLLER TO ACTIVATE TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND SIGNS AT THE TUNNEL ENTRANCE, TRAFFIC IS METERED IN A MANNER WHICH RESULTS IN LESS CONGESTION. THE VEHICLE DETECTORS USE WALL- MOUNTED HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT SOURCES AIMED AT A CELL WHICH IS LOCATED BELOW A HOLE IN THE TUNNEL ROADWAY. THE CELL IS HARD-WIRE CONNECTED TO THE LOGIC CONTROLLER. THE CONTROLLER, USING DISCRETE SOLID STATE COMPONENTS, DETERMINES THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES BETWEEN TWO POINTS IN A TUNNEL LANE; IN ADDITION THE CONTROLLER CALCULATES THE SPEED OF EACH VEHICLE AT BOTH POINTS. USING THESE PARAMETERS THE CONTROLLER DECIDES IF THE ENTERING TRAFFIC FLOW RATE SHOULD BE LOWERED. IF A DECREASE IN THE RATE IS WARRANTED, AMBER TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND A SIGN WHICH STATES 'PAUSE HERE-THEN GO' IS THEN ENERGIZED. WHEN THE THREAT OF POSSIBLE CONGESTION IS ALLEVIATED THE ENTRANCE CONTROLS ARE AUTOMATICALLY DE-ENERGIZED BY THE CONTROLLER. A COMPREHENSIVE TRAFFIC FLOW CONTROL AND STOPPAGE DETECTION SYSTEM WILL EMPLOY FOUR SMALL SCALE DIGITAL COMPUTERS WORKING IN PARIS AT BOTH THE HOLLAND AND LINCOLN TUNNELS. BASIC RAW DATA WILL COME FROM INDUCTION LOOP VEHICLE DETECTORS ARRANGED IN PARIS AT FOUR POINTS, SUPPLEMENTED BY PHOTOCELLS AT THEIR INTERMEDIATE POINTS, IN EACH OF THE TEN TRAFFIC LANES COMPRISING THE TWO FACILITIES. OUTPUT WILL CONSIST OF CONTROL SIGNALS TO ENTRANCE TRAFFIC DEVICES AS WELL AS ALARMS DESIGNED TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF FACILITY PERSONNEL TO ONE OF TWELVE TELEVISION MONITORS PER TUBE SHOWING THE AREA OF A DETECTED STOPPAGE. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept Tbr 7-69, 18 PP, 4 FIG
• Corporate Authors:

  Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

  225 Park Avenue South, 18th Floor
  New York, NY  United States  10003-1604
• Authors:
  • CUNNINGHAM, R F
  • White, C F
• Publication Date: 1969-10

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Actuated traffic signal controllers; Digital computers; Highway operations; Television cameras; Traffic actuated controllers; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Traffic flow; Traffic signal hardware; Traffic surveillance; Vehicle detectors; Vehicular tunnels
• Old TRIS Terms: Photoconductors; Traffic control systems; Tunnel traffic operations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225766
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 22 1970 12:00AM