TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND CALIBRATION OF FREEWAY MERGING CONTROL SYSTEMS
USING THE GULF FREEWAY IN HOUSTON AS THE LABORATORY, A NUMBER OF TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH GAP ACCEPTANCE CONTROL WERE STUDIED. DATA COLLECTION WAS PERFORMED USING MANUAL METHODS, A CLOSED-CIRCUIT TELEVISION SYSTEM, AND AN ELECTRONIC DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM INCLUDING FIELD SENSORS AND A DIGITAL COMPUTER. THE RAMP TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS PRESENTED INCLUDE THE VEHICLE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPEED, ACCELERATION, AND TRAVEL TIME, THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THESE VARIABLES, AND THE EFFECTS OF VEHICLE TYPE AND RAMP GRADE ON THESE VARIABLES. THE BEHAVIOR OF RAMP VEHICLES AT THE CONTROL SIGNAL WAS ALSO STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE STARTING-DELAY CHARACTERISTICS AND STOPPING POSITION OF VEHICLES AT THE RAMP SIGNAL. A FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF EACH VARIABLE IS PRESENTED AND THE APPLICATION OF THE RESULTS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION AND CALIBRATION OF MERGING CONTROL SYSTEMS IS DISCUSSED. SEVERAL FREEWAY TRAFFIC CHARACTERISTICS WERE ALSO STUDIED. THESE WERE CONCERNED MAINLY WITH TRAFFIC STABILITY UPSTREAM FROM AN ENTRANCE RAMP AND THE EFFECT OF THIS STABILITY ON THE ACCURACY WITH WHICH THE TRAJECTORY OF A RAMP VEHICLE CAN BE MATCHED WITH A FREEWAY GAP. ALSO PRESENTED IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOTAL TRAVEL AND TOTAL TRAVEL TIME, TWO MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS OFTEN USED IN THE EVALUATION OF FREEWAY CONTROL SYSTEMS. THE POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF THIS RELATIONSHIP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WARRANTS FOR FREEWAY CONTROL IS INDICATED. /AUTHOR/
- Record URL:
-
Supplemental Notes:
- Paper sponsored by Committee on Characteristics of Traffic Flow and presented at the 48th 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:
- Buhr, Johann H
- Whitson, Robert H
- Brewer, Kenneth A
- DREW, DONALD R
- Publication Date: 1969
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 87-106
- Monograph Title: Freeway traffic characteristics and control
-
Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 279
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Closed circuit television; Data collection; Digital computers; Freeway operations; Gap acceptance; Information processing; Interchange ramps; Speed; Traffic control; Traffic flow; Travel time; Vehicle performance
- Old TRIS Terms: Freeway entrances and exits; Freeway ramps
- Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00225540
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: Paper No 1
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Oct 21 1994 12:00AM