STATISTICS OF DELAY FOR A DRIVER POPULATION WITH STEP AND DISTRIBUTED GAP ACCEPTANCE FUNCTIONS

A model generally used for the reduction of gap acceptance data is one in which each driver has a unit step gap acceptance function, but the time of the step is distributed over the driver population. Data is now available to show that individual gap acceptance functions do not take the form of a step. The form of functions for individual gap acceptance assumed in this investigation are given but the data customarily available is reduced as if they came from a distribution of step functions. Under these circumstances it is shown that for a single car waiting time problem, the mean delay is calculated correctly using either assumption of the individual gap acceptance functions. The variance of the calculated waiting time would be overestimated as would be the probability of zero delay. The capacity would be overestimated. Data available from measurements by bottom and ashworth suggest that the discrepancies caused by assuming step gap acceptance functions may not be too large. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • Blumenfeld, D E
  • Weiss, G H
• Publication Date: 1978-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 423-429
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research /UK/
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Pergamon Press, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Decision making; Drivers; Estimating; Gap acceptance; Highway capacity; Mathematical models; Population; Statistics; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Vehicle spacing
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 643: Capacity (road, footway); 2248: Decision process; 9010: Delay; 1772: Driver; 6473: Mathematical model; 335: Population; 6555: Statistics; 671: Traffic flow; 694: Vehicle spacing
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; I71: Traffic Theory;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00195031
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 15 1979 12:00AM