PEAK PERIOD ANALYSIS AND CONTROL OF A FREEWAY SYSTEM /WITH DISCUSSION/

PEAK PERIOD FREEWAY CONTROL TECHNIQUES ARE DISCUSSED. A METHOD IS PRESENTED WHICH INVOLVES THE USE OF TOTAL FLOW /IN ONE DIRECTION/ WHICH MUST BE MAINTAINED AT LEVELS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO THE CAPACITY AT EACH FREEWAY BOTTLENECK. THIS CONTROL HAS GREAT POTENTIAL BECAUSE THE USE OF TOTAL FLOW ACROSS ALL FREEWAY LANES PERMITS USE OF THE CONTINUITY CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAFFIC FLOW, THEREBY MAKING SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS POSSIBLE. EACH LOCAL CONTROLLER OBTAINS THE DESIRED MERGE RATE FROM THE CENTRAL COMPUTER AND THEN DETERMINES THE TIME HEADWAYS BETWEEN ENTERING VEHICLES TO MAINTAIN THIS RATE OF MERGE. THE CENTRAL COMPUTER MONITORS THE FREEWAY OPERATION BY EXAMINING THE DETECTOR OUTPUTS. IT DETERMINES WHETHER NORMAL OR REDUCED CAPACITY OPERATIONS PREVAIL AND ESTABLISHES THE PROPER MERGING RATES AT EACH ENTRANCE RAMP IN THE SYSTEM. IT SUPPLIES THESE RATES TO THE LOCAL CONTROLLERS WHICH THEN MAINTAINS THEM.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1967/157/157-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Freeway Operations and presented at the 45th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Wattleworth, Joseph A
• Discussers:
  • Gervais, Edward F
  • Foote, Robert S
  • May Jr, Adolf D
  • Wattleworth, Joseph A
• Publication Date: 1967

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-21
• Monograph Title: Freeway traffic characteristics and control
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 157
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Bottlenecks; Freeway operations; Information processing; Interchange ramps; Merging traffic; Peak hour traffic; Rates; Traffic; Traffic control; Traffic control devices; Traffic flow; Travel patterns
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic analysis; Traffic patterns
• Old TRIS Terms: Freeway entrances and exits
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225135
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 5 1994 12:00AM