OPTIMIZING THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE BY CONTROLING CONGESTION AND TRAFFIC FLOW ON A HEAVY TRAFFIC MOTORWAY : THE SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE OF ASF

Traffic volume on the A7 motorway, in the Rhone Valley, keeps on increasing so much that it causes a significant and recurrent worsening of traffic conditions even out of the major summer migrations context. Deterioration in the level of service provided by the A7 motorway is closely linked to the current capacity of the corridor. Given this situation, and in the face of very few possibilities of widening the motorway, ASF has undertaken to improve its operating methods. ASF launched in 2003 several prospective studies aimed at setting up innovative road operation devices in order to best manage the highest trafficked areas of its network. Among these studies, ASF started up some reflections on various matters such as ramp metering, dynamic pricing, ban on overtaking for heavy vehicles and speed control. The A7 motorway, facing more than 75.000 vehicles/day (AADT) and almost 165.000 vehicles/day during peak-periods, is a preferential corridor for the implementation of such devices. A dynamic speed control device was tested on a 90 km long section of the northbound A7 motorway, being the most sensitive part of the corridor. After positive evaluation results, it was perpetuated then extended, in summer 2005, to the other direction (equating to 250 km under speed control in total: 160 km southwards and 90 km northwards). For the covering abstract see ITRD E134653.

• Authors:
  • LISBONIS, M
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 6p
• Serial:
  • PROCEEDINGS OF THE 13th ITS WORLD CONGRESS, LONDON, 8-12 OCTOBER 2006

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Freeways; Intelligent transportation systems; Passing; Peak periods; Ramp metering; Speed limits; Traffic control; Traffic flow
• Geographic Terms: France
• ITRD Terms: 8525: Conference; 8036: France; 8735: Intelligent transport system; 2752: Motorway; 1822: Overtaking; 612: Peak hour; 670: Ramp metering; 624: Speed limit; 654: Traffic control; 671: Traffic flow
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01083821
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Jan 7 2008 12:22PM