Real-Time Queue-End Detection on Freeways with Floating Car Data: Practice-Ready Algorithm

This paper is a contribution toward an operational use of large floating car data in traffic management. The work focused on a practice-ready approach on highways. The goal was to detect in real time the end of a perturbation. As an entire highway network is not fully equipped with cameras or loop detectors, floating car data have the potential to help detect the end of a moving bottleneck better. This specific zone represents a significant road safety risk. Better real-time detection of the end of congestion is needed. To address this issue, real-world data were analyzed from a French freeway with recurrent congestion patterns. After the quality and the precision of floating car data were discussed, a dynamic spatial segmentation of the network highlighted the relevance of this data source from an operational standpoint. In addition to the empirical network characterization, a systematic detection algorithm able to detect the queue end in real time with a 500-m precision was introduced. Assuming a growing penetration rate of floating car data, the algorithm used only floating car data with simple detection rules and few parameters. The method was validated on real congestion cases. Results proved the accuracy of the detection. The paper discusses the precision of floating car data, and recommendations for road operators are introduced.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.3141/2470-05
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309295666
• Authors:
  • Dinh, Tu-Uyen J
  • Billot, Romain
  • Pillet, Eric
  • El Faouzi, Nour-Eddin
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 46–56
• Monograph Title: Freeway Operations; Regional Systems Management and Operations; Managed Lanes 2014
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2470
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Bottlenecks; Floating car data; Methodology; State of the practice; Traffic queuing
• Geographic Terms: France
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01518191
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309295666
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-2725
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 12 2014 9:33AM