EFFECTS OF THE CHOICE OF DEPARTURE TIME ON ROAD TRAFFIC CONGESTION. THEORETICAL APPROACH

In this paper, an attempt is made to show the results of taking into account the way road users decide on their time of departure. Simple assumptions are made concerning the behaviour of road users. The author considers the situation where the road user advances or delays his departure with a view to reducing journey time. Two cases are considered: the road user takes a decision with respect to a desired departure time (work to home trip) or a desired arrival time (home to work trip). This approach is employed in considering the way in which a queue of vehicles can build up behind what is assumed to be a unique bottleneck in congested traffic conditions. A simple mathematical model for the build-up of the queue of vehicles is found to apply to both work to home trip and home to work trip, and the results given by theoretical analysis are compared with those obtained in real traffic conditions. Finally the implications of the analysis are considered with respect to particular factors such as the benefits resulting from an increase in road capacity, the staggering of working hours and control of motorway access. For the covering abstract of the symposium see TRIS 452544. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0802024610
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory, Toronto, Canada, June 24-26, 1981.
• Corporate Authors:

  Toronto University Press

  Front Campus
  Toronto, Ontario  Canada  M5S 1A6

  Toronto University Press

  33 East Tupper Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14208
• Authors:
  • Hurdle, V F
  • Hauser, E
  • Fargier, P-H
• Conference:
  • Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory, Toronto, Canada, June 24-26, 1981.
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 223-263

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access roads; Conferences; Decision making; Departure time; Freeways; Highway capacity; Mathematical models; Queuing; Staggered work hours; Time; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Travelers; Vehicles; Work trips
• Uncontrolled Terms: Increase; Selection
• ITRD Terms: 435: Access road; 643: Capacity (road, footway); 8525: Conference; 632: Congestion (traffic); 2248: Decision process; 621: Journey to work; 6473: Mathematical model; 2752: Motorway; 6594: Queue; 1755: Road user; 9072: Selection; 9145: Staggered working hours; 5414: Time; 654: Traffic control; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00452556
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 0 8020 2461 0
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM