AUTOMATION IN TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE

EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN OF THE APPLICATION OF AUTOMATION TO INFORMATION CONTROL AND DIRECT CONTROL. CHANGEABLE-MESSAGE SIGNS ARE A FAMILAR EXAMPLE OF INFORMATION CONTROL IN REAL-TIME. OTHERS NOTED IN PASSING ARE A PASSING-AID SYSTEM FOR RURAL TWO-LANE ROADS WITH INADEQUATE SIGHT DISTANCE, ELECTRONIC ROUTE GUIDANCE WITH AUTOMATIC WRONG-TURN INDICATORS, AND HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE. THE LAST, WHICH TRADITIONALLY HAS BEEN LOCKED INTO RECURRING OPERATIONS, CAN BENEFIT FROM AUTOMATION BOTH IN RESPONSE TO EMERGENCIES AND IN DEVELOPMENT OF FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES WITH CONTINUAL UPDATING. THE MOST FAMILIAR EXAMPLE OF DIRECT CONTROL IS THE AUTOMATED HIGHWAY, IN WHICH THE DRIVER BECOMES A PASSENGER FOR MUCH OF THE TRIP. AT PRESENT THE COST OF SUCH A SYSTEM IS PROHIBITIVE, BUT FUTURE HIGHWAY CAPACITIES MAY BE ACHIEVEABLE ONLY THROUGH HIGH SPEEDS AND LOW HEADWAYS. OTHER APPLICATIONS OF DIRECT CONTROL ARE AUTOMATIC USE OF HEAT, SAND, AND CHEMICAL FOR BRIDGE DECK DEICING AND PAVEMENT SNOW & ICE CONTROL, AND FAST-ACTING RESTRAINING DEVICES ON RAMPS AND LANES.

• Record URL:
  • https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr128/128-016.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309019974
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board

  2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC    20418
• Authors:
  • Betz, Mathew J
• Conference:
  • Western Summer Meeting
  • Location: Austin Texas, United States
  • Date: 1971-8-16 to 1971-8-18
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: p. 89-92
• Monograph Title: AUTOMATION SYSTEMS FOR HIGHWAY ORGANIZATIONS
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 128
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic control; Automation; Highway maintenance; Highway operations; Traffic
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226371
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309019974
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 9 1972 12:00AM