Effects of a Cooperative Variable Speed Limit System on Traffic Performance and Exhaust Emissions

Variable Speed Limit Systems (VSLS) where variable message signs show speed limits based on traffic or road conditions exist on motorways in many countries. The purpose of the VSLS is to decrease the number of accidents while increasing efficiency of traffic system. Cooperative systems are a type of intelligent transport system that has received increasing interest lately. The central part of a cooperative system is communication between vehicles and/or vehicles and the infrastructure. In this paper, a cooperative systems extension of a VSLS is proposed and evaluated by means of microscopic traffic simulation. In the proposed cooperative VSLS, communication between the vehicles and the infrastructure is made available via a roadside unit communicating the speed limits to vehicles upstream on the road. Both aggregate and micro-scale emission models are used to estimate emission from vehicle states in traffic flow. The results of the study show that the cooperative VSLS has a potential to contribute to flow harmonization and to reduce environmental impacts. The emission estimates in the study are dependent on the emission models being applied.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHB15 Intelligent Transportation Systems.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Grumert, Ellen
  • Ma, Xiaoliang
  • Tapani, Andreas
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2013-1-13 to 2013-1-17
• Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Exhaust gases; Intelligent transportation systems; Traffic flow; Traffic simulation; Variable speed limits; Vehicle to infrastructure communications; Vehicle to vehicle communications
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cooperative systems
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I15: Environment; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01477119
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-4014
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 29 2013 4:42PM