ANALYSIS AND REQUIREMENTS OF ELECTRONIC COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES CLASSES OF COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS THAT SHOW THE MOST PROMISE IN COPING WHITH THE PROBLEMS AND DEFICIENCIES OF EXISTING AND EXPECTED FUTURE URBAN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES THAT WERE CONSIDERED IN IDENTIFYING PROBLEM AREAS ARE DEFICIENCES ARE (1) URBAN TRANSPORTATION'S ONE PRINCIPAL FUNCTION IS CARRYING PEOPLE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. (2) URBAN TRANSPORTATION MUST BE EVALUATED AGAINST A NUMBER OF CRITERIA SUCH AS COST, TRAVEL TIME, RELIABILITY OF SERVICE, PUBLIC ACCEPTABILITY, SAFETY, COMFORT, AND CONVENIENCE. (3) MOST EXISTING MODES OF URBAN TRAVEL INVOLVE VEHICLES MOVING OVER RIGHT-OF-WAY. THE GENERAL APPROACH FOLLOWED FOR EACH SUBJECT CONSIDERED WAS TO FIRST PRESENT AN ANALYSIS AND A DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEMS AND THE PRESENT CONTROL SYSTEMS, AND TO THEN PROPOSE A SUGGESTED OPTIMUM OR IMPROVED CLASS OF SYSTEM. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE CONTRACT, THE MAIN CONCERN IS WITH SYSTEMS WHICH CAN BE BROUGHT INTO USE IN THE NEAR FUTURE; AND THE MAIN EMPHASIS IS ON THE COMMAND AND CONTROL ASPECTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS. A DISCUSSION OF BOTH EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR LARGE CITIES IS GIVEN. THE "ADVANCED SYSTEM" PROPOSAL HERE INCLUDES, IN ADDITION TO THE BEST FEATURES OF EXISTING SYSTEMS, SUCH CONCEPTS AS URBAN CORE METERING, VARIABLE ROUTING, IMPROVED DRIVER ADVISORIES, AND AN ADVANCED TECHNIQUE OF DESTINATION SENSING. A DISCUSSION IS GIVEN OF MERGING CONTROL, RAMP METERING, AND EXPRESSWAY CORRIDOR CONTROL SYSTEMS; THE LAST INVOLVES THE INTEGRATION OF TRAFFIC ON EXPRESSWAYS WITH TRAFFIC ON NEIGHBORING ARTERIALS. THE SUGGESTED ADVANCED SYSTEM DISCUSSED MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF A COMPOSITE SYSTEM PERFORMING ALL THESE FUNCTIONS. THE INTERMODAL SYNCHRONIZATION PROBLEM AND THE REPORT CONTAINS RESEARCH ON BUS PRIORITY SYSTEMS AND DEMAND ACTUATED TRANSIT SYSTEMS. /JMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO NSS-6
• Corporate Authors:

  General Electric

  Marine Turbine & Gear Engineer, 1100 Western Ave
  Lynn, MA  United States  01910
• Publication Date: 1967-11

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Command guidance; Control systems; Demand responsive transportation; Electronic control; Merging traffic; Routing; Transportation corridors; Urban transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Command systems; Metering
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226466
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 7 1972 12:00AM