Performance Measures for Characterizing Regional Congestion using Aggregated Multi-Year Probe Vehicle Data

Probe vehicle speed data has become an important data source for evaluating the congestion performance of highways and arterial roads. Pre-defined spatially located segments known as traffic message channels (TMCs) are linked to commercially available, temporal anonymous probe vehicle speed data. These data have been used to develop agency-wide performance measures to better plan and manage infrastructure assets. Recent research has analyzed individual as well as aggregated TMC links on roadway systems to identify congested areas along spatially defined routes. By understanding the typical congestion of all TMCs in a region as indicated by increased travel times, a broader perspective of the congestion characteristics can be gained. This is especially important when determining the impact of such occurrences in the region as a major crash event, special events, or during extreme conditions such as a natural or human-made disaster. This paper demonstrates how aggregated probe speed data can be used to characterize regional congestion. To demonstrate the methodology, an analysis of vehicle speed data during Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in the United States, is used to show the regional impact in 2012. Further, the analysis results are compared and contrasted with comparable periods of increased congestion in 2013, 2014, and 2016. The analysis encompasses 614 TMCs, within 10 miles of the New Jersey coast. Approximately 90 million speed records covering five counties are analyzed in the study.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118797190
• Order URL:
  http://amonline.trb.org/
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Authors:
  • Brennan, Thomas M
  • Venigalla, Mohan M
  • Hyde, Ashley
  • LaRegina, Anthony
• Publication Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 170-179
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Volume: 2672
  • Issue Number: 42
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0361-1981
  • EISSN: 2169-4052
  • Serial URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data analysis; Methodology; Performance measurement; Probe vehicles; Speed data; Traffic congestion
• Identifier Terms: Hurricane Sandy, 2012
• Geographic Terms: New Jersey
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01664097
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-04745
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 23 2018 10:32AM