Characterization of arterial traffic congestion through analysis of operational parameters (gap acceptance and lane changing).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

This project monitored an urban arterial highway to characterize recurring congestion. There were two major initiatives in the project. The first one focused on observed variations in gap acceptance and lane changing in relation to traffic flow rates...

Better road congestion measures are needed

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-05-01

Road congestion is growing worse as demand : outstrips new roadway construction and other : efforts to increase traffic flows. : Better ways to measure congestion are needed to : effectively address the problem. : Actual measures of speeds an...

Towards Realistic Urban Traffic Experiments Using DFROUTER: Heuristic, Validation and Extensions.

PubMed

Zambrano-Martinez, Jorge Luis; Calafate, Carlos T; Soler, David; Cano, Juan-Carlos

2017-12-15

Traffic congestion is an important problem faced by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), requiring models that allow predicting the impact of different solutions on urban traffic flow. Such an approach typically requires the use of simulations, which should be as realistic as possible. However, achieving high degrees of realism can be complex when the actual traffic patterns, defined through an Origin/Destination (O-D) matrix for the vehicles in a city, remain unknown. Thus, the main contribution of this paper is a heuristic for improving traffic congestion modeling. In particular, we propose a procedure that, starting from real induction loop measurements made available by traffic authorities, iteratively refines the output of DFROUTER, which is a module provided by the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) tool. This way, it is able to generate an O-D matrix for traffic that resembles the real traffic distribution and that can be directly imported by SUMO. We apply our technique to the city of Valencia, and we then compare the obtained results against other existing traffic mobility data for the cities of Cologne (Germany) and Bologna (Italy), thereby validating our approach. We also use our technique to determine what degree of congestion is expectable if certain conditions cause additional traffic to circulate in the city, adopting both a uniform pattern and a hotspot-based pattern for traffic injection to demonstrate how to regulate the overall number of vehicles in the city. This study allows evaluating the impact of vehicle flow changes on the overall traffic congestion levels.

Development of a prototype vehicle-infrastructure integration system for real-time traffic management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-08-01

Freeway congestion is a major problem in many urban areas. It has been estimated that freeway incidents (events that impede the flow of traffic: accidents, disabled vehicles, etc.) account for one-half to three-fourths of the total congestion on metr...

Reducing Traffic Congestions by Introducing CACC-Vehicles on a Multi-Lane Highway Using Agent-Based Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnaout, Georges M.; Bowling, Shannon R.

2011-01-01

Traffic congestion is an ongoing problem of great interest to researchers from different areas in academia. With the emerging technology for inter-vehicle communication, vehicles have the ability to exchange information with predecessors by wireless communication. In this paper, we present an agent-based model of traffic congestion and examine the impact of having CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) embedded vehicle(s) on a highway system consisting of 4 traffic lanes without overtaking. In our model, CACC vehicles adapt their acceleration/deceleration according to vehicle-to-vehicle inter-communication. We analyze the average speed of the cars, the shockwaves, and the evolution of traffic congestion throughout the lifecycle of the model. The study identifies how CACC vehicles affect the dynamics of traffic flow on a complex network and reduce the oscillatory behavior (stop and go) resulting from the acceleration/deceleration of the vehicles.

Towards Realistic Urban Traffic Experiments Using DFROUTER: Heuristic, Validation and Extensions

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Traffic congestion is an important problem faced by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), requiring models that allow predicting the impact of different solutions on urban traffic flow. Such an approach typically requires the use of simulations, which should be as realistic as possible. However, achieving high degrees of realism can be complex when the actual traffic patterns, defined through an Origin/Destination (O-D) matrix for the vehicles in a city, remain unknown. Thus, the main contribution of this paper is a heuristic for improving traffic congestion modeling. In particular, we propose a procedure that, starting from real induction loop measurements made available by traffic authorities, iteratively refines the output of DFROUTER, which is a module provided by the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) tool. This way, it is able to generate an O-D matrix for traffic that resembles the real traffic distribution and that can be directly imported by SUMO. We apply our technique to the city of Valencia, and we then compare the obtained results against other existing traffic mobility data for the cities of Cologne (Germany) and Bologna (Italy), thereby validating our approach. We also use our technique to determine what degree of congestion is expectable if certain conditions cause additional traffic to circulate in the city, adopting both a uniform pattern and a hotspot-based pattern for traffic injection to demonstrate how to regulate the overall number of vehicles in the city. This study allows evaluating the impact of vehicle flow changes on the overall traffic congestion levels. PMID:29244762

Traffic signal synchronization in the saturated high-density grid road network.

PubMed

Hu, Xiaojian; Lu, Jian; Wang, Wei; Zhirui, Ye

2015-01-01

Most existing traffic signal synchronization strategies do not perform well in the saturated high-density grid road network (HGRN). Traffic congestion often occurs in the saturated HGRN, and the mobility of the network is difficult to restore. In order to alleviate traffic congestion and to improve traffic efficiency in the network, the study proposes a regional traffic signal synchronization strategy, named the long green and long red (LGLR) traffic signal synchronization strategy. The essence of the strategy is to control the formation and dissipation of queues and to maximize the efficiency of traffic flows at signalized intersections in the saturated HGRN. With this strategy, the same signal control timing plan is used at all signalized intersections in the HGRN, and the straight phase of the control timing plan has a long green time and a long red time. Therefore, continuous traffic flows can be maintained when vehicles travel, and traffic congestion can be alleviated when vehicles stop. Using the strategy, the LGLR traffic signal synchronization model is developed, with the objective of minimizing the number of stops. Finally, the simulation is executed to analyze the performance of the model by comparing it to other models, and the superiority of the LGLR model is evident in terms of delay, number of stops, queue length, and overall performance in the saturated HGRN.

Containing air pollution and traffic congestion: Transport policy and the environment in Singapore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Anthony T. H.

Land transportation remains one of the main contributors of noise and air pollution in urban areas. This is in addition to traffic congestion and accidents which result in the loss of productive activity. While there is a close relationship between traffic volumes and levels of noise and air pollution, transport authorities often assume that solving traffic congestion would reduce noise and air pollutant levels. Tight control over automobile ownership and use in Singapore has contributed in improving traffic flows, travel speeds and air quality. The adoption of internationally accepted standards on automobile emissions and gasoline have been effective in reducing air pollution from motor vehicles. Demand management measures have largely focused on controlling the source of traffic congestion, i.e. private automobile ownership and its use especially within the Central Business District during the day. This paper reviews and analyzes the effectiveness of two measures which are instrumental in controlling congestion and automobile ownership, i.e. road pricing and the vehicle quota scheme (VQS). While these measures have been successful in achieving desired objectives, it has also led to the spreading of traffic externalities to other roads in the network, loss in consumer welfare and rent seeking by automobile traders.

New full velocity difference model considering the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference for car-following theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, You-Zhi; Zhang, Ning

2016-12-01

This paper proposes a new full velocity difference model considering the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference for car-following theory to investigate the effects of the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference on traffic flow instability when the driver reacts to the relative velocity. We obtain traffic flow instability condition and the calculation method of the unstable region headway range and the probability of traffic congestion caused by a small disturbance. The analysis shows that has important effects the driver’s heterogeneity of the disturbance risk preference on traffic flow instability: (1) traffic flow instability is independent of the absolute size of the driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient and depends on the ratio of the preceding vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient to the following vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient; (2) the smaller the ratio of the preceding vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient to the following vehicle driver’s disturbance risk preference coefficient, the smaller traffic flow instability and vice versa. It provides some viable ideas to suppress traffic congestion.

Improving traffic flow at a 2-to-1 lane reduction with wirelessly connected, adaptive cruise control vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, L. C.

2016-06-01

Wirelessly connected vehicles that exchange information about traffic conditions can reduce delays caused by congestion. At a 2-to-1 lane reduction, the improvement in flow past a bottleneck due to traffic with a random mixture of 40% connected vehicles is found to be 52%. Control is based on connected-vehicle-reported velocities near the bottleneck. In response to indications of congestion the connected vehicles, which are also adaptive cruise control vehicles, reduce their speed in slowdown regions. Early lane changes of manually driven vehicles from the terminated lane to the continuous lane are induced by the slowing connected vehicles. Self-organized congestion at the bottleneck is thus delayed or eliminated, depending upon the incoming flow magnitude. For the large majority of vehicles, travel times past the bottleneck are substantially reduced. Control is responsible for delaying the onset of congestion as the incoming flow increases. Adaptive cruise control increases the flow out of the congested state at the bottleneck. The nature of the congested state, when it occurs, appears to be similar under a variety of conditions. Typically 80-100 vehicles are approximately equally distributed between the lanes in the 500 m region prior to the end of the terminated lane. Without the adaptive cruise control capability, connected vehicles can delay the onset of congestion but do not increase the asymptotic flow past the bottleneck. Calculations are done using the Kerner-Klenov three-phase theory, stochastic discrete-time model for manual vehicles. The dynamics of the connected vehicles is given by a conventional adaptive cruise control algorithm plus commanded deceleration. Because time in the model for manual vehicles is discrete (one-second intervals), it is assumed that the acceleration of any vehicle immediately in front of a connected vehicle is constant during the time interval, thereby preserving the computational simplicity and speed of a discrete-time model.

Traffic Signal Synchronization in the Saturated High-Density Grid Road Network

PubMed Central

Hu, Xiaojian; Lu, Jian; Wang, Wei; Zhirui, Ye

2015-01-01

Most existing traffic signal synchronization strategies do not perform well in the saturated high-density grid road network (HGRN). Traffic congestion often occurs in the saturated HGRN, and the mobility of the network is difficult to restore. In order to alleviate traffic congestion and to improve traffic efficiency in the network, the study proposes a regional traffic signal synchronization strategy, named the long green and long red (LGLR) traffic signal synchronization strategy. The essence of the strategy is to control the formation and dissipation of queues and to maximize the efficiency of traffic flows at signalized intersections in the saturated HGRN. With this strategy, the same signal control timing plan is used at all signalized intersections in the HGRN, and the straight phase of the control timing plan has a long green time and a long red time. Therefore, continuous traffic flows can be maintained when vehicles travel, and traffic congestion can be alleviated when vehicles stop. Using the strategy, the LGLR traffic signal synchronization model is developed, with the objective of minimizing the number of stops. Finally, the simulation is executed to analyze the performance of the model by comparing it to other models, and the superiority of the LGLR model is evident in terms of delay, number of stops, queue length, and overall performance in the saturated HGRN. PMID:25663835

Coordinated Traffic Incident and Congestion Management (TIM-CM) : Mitigating Regional Impacts of Major Traffic Incidents in the Seattle I-5 Corridor

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-02

Within the Seattle metropolitan area, traffic incident management (TIM) operations provide a multi-jurisdictional and coordinated strategy to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow can be restored quickly and safely. The...

32 CFR 634.31 - Parking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... be avoided. (c) Illegal parking contributes to congestion and slows traffic flow on an installation... INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION Traffic Supervision § 634.31 Parking. (a) The most efficient use... eliminates conditions causing traffic accidents. (d) The “Denver boot” device is authorized for use as a...

32 CFR 634.31 - Parking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... be avoided. (c) Illegal parking contributes to congestion and slows traffic flow on an installation... INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION Traffic Supervision § 634.31 Parking. (a) The most efficient use... eliminates conditions causing traffic accidents. (d) The “Denver boot” device is authorized for use as a...

32 CFR 634.31 - Parking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... be avoided. (c) Illegal parking contributes to congestion and slows traffic flow on an installation... INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION Traffic Supervision § 634.31 Parking. (a) The most efficient use... eliminates conditions causing traffic accidents. (d) The “Denver boot” device is authorized for use as a...

32 CFR 634.31 - Parking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... be avoided. (c) Illegal parking contributes to congestion and slows traffic flow on an installation... INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION Traffic Supervision § 634.31 Parking. (a) The most efficient use... eliminates conditions causing traffic accidents. (d) The “Denver boot” device is authorized for use as a...

32 CFR 634.31 - Parking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... eliminates conditions causing traffic accidents. (d) The “Denver boot” device is authorized for use as a... INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION Traffic Supervision § 634.31 Parking. (a) The most efficient use... be avoided. (c) Illegal parking contributes to congestion and slows traffic flow on an installation...

Optimizing congestion and emissions via tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wenlong; Ma, Shoufeng; Tian, Junfang

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations that can reassign network traffic flow patterns to optimize congestion and emissions. First, we prove the existence of the proposed schemes and further decentralize the minimum emission flow pattern to user equilibrium. Moreover, we design the solving method of the proposed credit scheme for minimum emission problem. Second, we investigate the revenue-neutral tradable credit charge and reward scheme without initial credit allocations for bi-objectives to obtain the Pareto system optimum flow patterns of congestion and emissions; and present the corresponding solutions are located in the polyhedron constituted by some inequalities and equalities system. Last, numerical example based on a simple traffic network is adopted to obtain the proposed credit schemes and verify they are revenue-neutral.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: A Realistic Cellular Automaton Model for Synchronized Traffic Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bo-Han; Hu, Mao-Bin; Jiang, Rui; Wu, Qing-Song

2009-11-01

A cellular automaton model is proposed to consider the anticipation effect in drivers' behavior. It is shown that the anticipation effect can be one of the origins of synchronized traffic flow. With anticipation effect, the congested traffic flow simulated by the model exhibits the features of synchronized flow. The spatiotemporal patterns induced by an on-ramp are also consistent with the three-phase traffic theory. Since the origin of synchronized flow is still controversial, our work can shed some light on the mechanism of synchronized flow.

40 CFR 93.101 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... or changing traffic flow or congestion conditions. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this...-traffic rail transit, exclusive busway, etc. Design scope means the design aspects which will affect the... from vehicles under fixed traffic conditions are not TCMs for the purposes of this subpart...

Optimizing airport capacity utilization in air traffic flow management subject to constraints at arrival and departure fixes

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This paper formulates a new approach for improvement : of air traffic flow management at airports, which leads to : more efficient utilization of existing airport capacity to alleviate : the consequences of congestion. A new model is presented, : whi...

From Traffic Flow to Economic System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bando, M.

The optimal velocity model which is applied to traffic flow phenomena explains a spontaneous formation of traffic congestion. We discuss why the model works well in describing both free-flow and congested flow states in a unified way. The essential ingredient is that our model takes account of a sort of time delay in reacting to a given stimulus. This causes instability of many-body system, and yields a kind of phase transition above a certain critical density. Especially there appears a limit cycle on the phase space along which individual vehicle moves, and they show cyclic behavior. Once that we recognize the mechanism the same idea can be applied to a variety of phenomena which show cyclic behavior observed in many-body systems. As an example of such applications, we investigate business cycles commonly observed in economic system. We further discuss a possible origin of a kind of cyclic behavior observed in climate change.

Integrated Traffic Flow Management Decision Making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grabbe, Shon R.; Sridhar, Banavar; Mukherjee, Avijit

2009-01-01

A generalized approach is proposed to support integrated traffic flow management decision making studies at both the U.S. national and regional levels. It can consider tradeoffs between alternative optimization and heuristic based models, strategic versus tactical flight controls, and system versus fleet preferences. Preliminary testing was accomplished by implementing thirteen unique traffic flow management models, which included all of the key components of the system and conducting 85, six-hour fast-time simulation experiments. These experiments considered variations in the strategic planning look-ahead times, the replanning intervals, and the types of traffic flow management control strategies. Initial testing indicates that longer strategic planning look-ahead times and re-planning intervals result in steadily decreasing levels of sector congestion for a fixed delay level. This applies when accurate estimates of the air traffic demand, airport capacities and airspace capacities are available. In general, the distribution of the delays amongst the users was found to be most equitable when scheduling flights using a heuristic scheduling algorithm, such as ration-by-distance. On the other hand, equity was the worst when using scheduling algorithms that took into account the number of seats aboard each flight. Though the scheduling algorithms were effective at alleviating sector congestion, the tactical rerouting algorithm was the primary control for avoiding en route weather hazards. Finally, the modeled levels of sector congestion, the number of weather incursions, and the total system delays, were found to be in fair agreement with the values that were operationally observed on both good and bad weather days.

Monitoring and Alerting Congestion at Airports and Sectors under Uncertainty in Traffic Demand Predictions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-04-01

Important functions of the Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) include prediction air traffic demand for National Air Space (NAS) elements (airports, fixes and enroute sectors) for several hours into the future, and using these predictions to alert...

Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) special events traffic flow study : traffic data analysis and signal timing coordination

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-01

Following special events at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) (e.g., conventions, concerts, graduation ceremonies), high volumes of traffic exiting the DECC create substantial congestion at adjacent intersections. The purpose of this ...

Effects of inter-packet spacing on the delivery of multimedia content

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kapadia, A. C.; Feng, A. C.; Feng, W. C.

2001-01-01

Streaming multimedia content with UDP has become increasingly popular over distributed systems such as the Internet. However, because UDP does not possess any congestion-control mechanism and most best-effort trafic is served by the congestion-controlled TCP, UDP flows steal bandwidth from TCP to the point that TCP flows can starve for network resources. Furthermore, such applications may cause the Internet infrastructure to eventually suffer from congestion collapse because UDP trafic does not self-regulate itself. To address this problem, next-generation Internet routers will implement active queue-management schemes to punish malicious traffic, e.g., non-adaptive UDP flows, and to the improve the performance ofmore » congestion-controlled traffic, e.g., TCP flows. The arrival of such routers will cripple the performance of today's UDP-based multimedia applications. So, in this paper, we introduce the notion of inter-packet spacing with control feedback to enable these UDP-based applications to perform well in the next-generation Internet while being adaptive and self-regulating. When compared with traditional UDP-based multimedia streaming, we illustrate that our counterintuitive, interpacket-spacing scheme with control feedback can reduce packet loss by 90% without adversely affecting delivered throughput. Keywords: network protocol, multimedia, packet spacing, rate-adjusting congestion control.« less

Empirical observation of the impact of traffic oscillations on freeway safety : final report, OTREC-RR-10-13, September 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

Traffic oscillations are typical features of congested traffic flow that are characterized by recurring decelerations : followed by accelerations (stop-and-go driving). The negative environmental impacts of these oscillations are widely : accepted, b...

Development of a mobile probe-based traffic data fusion and flow management platform for innovative public-private information-based partnerships.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-10-17

"Under the aegis of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), real-time traffic information provision strategies are being proposed to manage traffic congestion, alleviate the effects of incidents, enhance response efficiency after disasters, and imp...

Probabilistic Predictions of Traffic Demand for En Route Sectors Based on Individual Flight Data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

The Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) predicts the demand for each sector, and traffic managers use these predictions to spot possible congestion and to take measures to prevent it. These predictions of sector demand, however, are currently made ...

An investigation of driver distraction near the tipping point of traffic flow stability.

PubMed

Cooper, Joel M; Vladisavljevic, Ivana; Medeiros-Ward, Nathan; Martin, Peter T; Strayer, David L

2009-04-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the interrelationship between driver distraction and characteristics of driver behavior associated with reduced highway traffic efficiency. Research on the three-phase traffic theory and on behavioral driving suggests that a number of characteristics associated with efficient traffic flow may be affected by driver distraction. Previous studies have been limited, however, by the fact that researchers typically do not allow participants to change lanes, nor do they account for the impact of varying traffic states on driving performance. Participants drove in three simulated environments with differing traffic congestion while both using and not using a cell phone. Instructed only to obey the speed limit, participants were allowed to vary driving behaviors, such as those involving forward following distance, speed, and lane-changing frequency. Both driver distraction and traffic congestion were found to significantly affect lane change frequency, mean speed, and the likelihood of remaining behind a slower-moving lead vehicle. This research suggests that the behavioral profile of "cell phone drivers," which is often described as compensatory, may have far-reaching and unexpected consequences for traffic efficiency. By considering the dynamic interplay between characteristics of traffic flow and driver behavior, this research may inform both public policy regarding in-vehicle cell phone use and future investigations of driving behavior.

A Minimax Network Flow Model for Characterizing the Impact of Slot Restrictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Douglas W.; Patek, Stephen D.; Alexandrov, Natalia; Bass, Ellen J.; Kincaid, Rex K.

2010-01-01

This paper proposes a model for evaluating long-term measures to reduce congestion at airports in the National Airspace System (NAS). This model is constructed with the goal of assessing the global impacts of congestion management strategies, specifically slot restrictions. We develop the Minimax Node Throughput Problem (MINNTHRU), a multicommodity network flow model that provides insight into air traffic patterns when one minimizes the worst-case operation across all airports in a given network. MINNTHRU is thus formulated as a model where congestion arises from network topology. It reflects not market-driven airline objectives, but those of a regulatory authority seeking a distribution of air traffic beneficial to all airports, in response to congestion management measures. After discussing an algorithm for solving MINNTHRU for moderate-sized (30 nodes) and larger networks, we use this model to study the impacts of slot restrictions on the operation of an entire hub-spoke airport network. For both a small example network and a medium-sized network based on 30 airports in the NAS, we use MINNTHRU to demonstrate that increasing the severity of slot restrictions increases the traffic around unconstrained hub airports as well as the worst-case level of operation over all airports.

Network traffic behaviour near phase transition point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawniczak, A. T.; Tang, X.

2006-03-01

We explore packet traffic dynamics in a data network model near phase transition point from free flow to congestion. The model of data network is an abstraction of the Network Layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnect) Reference Model of packet switching networks. The Network Layer is responsible for routing packets across the network from their sources to their destinations and for control of congestion in data networks. Using the model we investigate spatio-temporal packets traffic dynamics near the phase transition point for various network connection topologies, and static and adaptive routing algorithms. We present selected simulation results and analyze them.

Nature of the Congested Traffic and Quasi-steady States of the General Motor Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Bo; Xu, Xihua; Pang, John Z. F.; Monterola, Christopher

2015-03-01

We look at the general motor (GM) class microscopic traffic models and analyze some of the universal features of the (multi-)cluster solutions, including the emergence of an intrinsic scale and the quasisoliton dynamics. We show that the GM models can capture the essential physics of the real traffic dynamics, especially the phase transition from the free flow to the congested phase, from which the wide moving jams emerges (the F-S-J transition pioneered by B.S. Kerner). In particular, the congested phase can be associated with either the multi-cluster quasi-steady states, or their more homogeneous precursor states. In both cases the states can last for a long time, and the narrow clusters will eventually grow and merge, leading to the formation of the wide moving jams. We present a general method to fit the empirical parameters so that both quantitative and qualitative macroscopic empirical features can be reproduced with a minimal GM model. We present numerical results for the traffic dynamics both with and without the bottleneck, including various types of spontaneous and induced ``synchronized flow,'' as well as the evolution of wide moving jams. We also discuss its implications to the nature of different phases in traffic dynamics.

Congestion and flow control in signaling system no. 7: Impacts of intelligent networks and new services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zepf, Joachim; Rufa, Gerhard

1994-04-01

This paper focuses on the transient performance analysis of the congestion and flow control mechanisms in CCITT Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). Special attention is directed to the impacts of the introduction of intelligent services and new applications, e.g., Freephone, credit card services, user-to-user signaling, etc. In particular, we show that signaling traffic characteristics like signaling scenarios or signaling message length as well as end-to-end signaling capabilities have a significant influence on the congestion and flow control and, therefore, on the real-time signaling performance. One important result of our performance studies is that if, e.g., intelligent services are introduced, the SS7 congestion and flow control does not work correctly. To solve this problem, some reinvestigations into these mechanisms would be necessary. Therefore, some approaches, e.g., modification of the Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) congestion control, usage of the SCCP relay function, or a redesign of the MTP flow control procedures are discussed in order to guarantee the efficacy of the congestion and flow control mechanisms also in the future.

A knowledge-based system for controlling automobile traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maravas, Alexander; Stengel, Robert F.

1994-01-01

Transportation network capacity variations arising from accidents, roadway maintenance activity, and special events as well as fluctuations in commuters' travel demands complicate traffic management. Artificial intelligence concepts and expert systems can be useful in framing policies for incident detection, congestion anticipation, and optimal traffic management. This paper examines the applicability of intelligent route guidance and control as decision aids for traffic management. Basic requirements for managing traffic are reviewed, concepts for studying traffic flow are introduced, and mathematical models for modeling traffic flow are examined. Measures for quantifying transportation network performance levels are chosen, and surveillance and control strategies are evaluated. It can be concluded that automated decision support holds great promise for aiding the efficient flow of automobile traffic over limited-access roadways, bridges, and tunnels.

Impacts of signal system timings on rain related congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-06-01

It is known that inclement weather can affect traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, speed variance, saturation flow rates, and sometimes : discharge rates from traffic signals. These parameters in turn can have a significant impact on the efficiency of tr...

New ways of looking at sector demand and sector alerts

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-31

This report presents the latest results of research conducted at the Volpe Center on improving air traffic demand predictions and enhancing the Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) Monitor/Alert function for identifying potential congestion at Natio...

Measures to alleviate congestion at rural intersections.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-02-01

Many rural highways experience a surge in traffic flow levels on certain high-travel days during national holidays. Due to the : platooned nature of the high volume traffic on the main highway, vehicles on the minor approach attempting to turn ...

Simulating and evaluating an adaptive and integrated traffic lights control system for smart city application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djuana, E.; Rahardjo, K.; Gozali, F.; Tan, S.; Rambung, R.; Adrian, D.

2018-01-01

A city could be categorized as a smart city when the information technology has been developed to the point that the administration could sense, understand, and control every resource to serve its people and sustain the development of the city. One of the smart city aspects is transportation and traffic management. This paper presents a research project to design an adaptive traffic lights control system as a part of the smart system for optimizing road utilization and reducing congestion. Research problems presented include: (1) Congestion in one direction toward an intersection due to dynamic traffic condition from time to time during the day, while the timing cycles in traffic lights system are mostly static; (2) No timing synchronization among traffic lights in adjacent intersections that is causing unsteady flows; (3) Difficulties in traffic condition monitoring on the intersection and the lack of facility for remotely controlling traffic lights. In this research, a simulator has been built to model the adaptivity and integration among different traffic lights controllers in adjacent intersections, and a case study consisting of three sets of intersections along Jalan K. H. Hasyim Ashari has been simulated. It can be concluded that timing slots synchronization among traffic lights is crucial for maintaining a steady traffic flow.

Relationship between microscopic dynamics in traffic flow and complexity in networks.

PubMed

Li, Xin-Gang; Gao, Zi-You; Li, Ke-Ping; Zhao, Xiao-Mei

2007-07-01

Complex networks are constructed in the evolution process of traffic flow, and the states of traffic flow are represented by nodes in the network. The traffic dynamics can then be studied by investigating the statistical properties of those networks. According to Kerner's three-phase theory, there are two different phases in congested traffic, synchronized flow and wide moving jam. In the framework of this theory, we study different properties of synchronized flow and moving jam in relation to complex network. Scale-free network is constructed in stop-and-go traffic, i.e., a sequence of moving jams [Chin. Phys. Lett. 10, 2711 (2005)]. In this work, the networks generated in synchronized flow are investigated in detail. Simulation results show that the degree distribution of the networks constructed in synchronized flow has two power law regions, so the distinction in topological structure can really reflect the different dynamics in traffic flow. Furthermore, the real traffic data are investigated by this method, and the results are consistent with the simulations.

Development of a real-time crash risk prediction model incorporating the various crash mechanisms across different traffic states.

PubMed

Xu, Chengcheng; Wang, Wei; Liu, Pan; Zhang, Fangwei

2015-01-01

This study aimed to identify the traffic flow variables contributing to crash risks under different traffic states and to develop a real-time crash risk model incorporating the varying crash mechanisms across different traffic states. The crash, traffic, and geometric data were collected on the I-880N freeway in California in 2008 and 2009. This study considered 4 different traffic states in Wu's 4-phase traffic theory. They are free fluid traffic, bunched fluid traffic, bunched congested traffic, and standing congested traffic. Several different statistical methods were used to accomplish the research objective. The preliminary analysis showed that traffic states significantly affected crash likelihood, collision type, and injury severity. Nonlinear canonical correlation analysis (NLCCA) was conducted to identify the underlying phenomena that made certain traffic states more hazardous than others. The results suggested that different traffic states were associated with various collision types and injury severities. The matching of traffic flow characteristics and crash characteristics in NLCCA revealed how traffic states affected traffic safety. The logistic regression analyses showed that the factors contributing to crash risks were quite different across various traffic states. To incorporate the varying crash mechanisms across different traffic states, random parameters logistic regression was used to develop a real-time crash risk model. Bayesian inference based on Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations was used for model estimation. The parameters of traffic flow variables in the model were allowed to vary across different traffic states. Compared with the standard logistic regression model, the proposed model significantly improved the goodness-of-fit and predictive performance. These results can promote a better understanding of the relationship between traffic flow characteristics and crash risks, which is valuable knowledge in the pursuit of improving traffic safety on freeways through the use of dynamic safety management systems.

Constraints of nonresponding flows based on cross layers in the networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zhi-Chao; Xiao, Yang; Wang, Dong

2016-02-01

In the active queue management (AQM) scheme, core routers cannot manage and constrain user datagram protocol (UDP) data flows by the sliding window control mechanism in the transport layer due to the nonresponsive nature of such traffic flows. However, the UDP traffics occupy a large part of the network service nowadays which brings a great challenge to the stability of the more and more complex networks. To solve the uncontrollable problem, this paper proposes a cross layers random early detection (CLRED) scheme, which can control the nonresponding UDP-like flows rate effectively when congestion occurs in the access point (AP). The CLRED makes use of the MAC frame acknowledgement (ACK) transmitting congestion information to the sources nodes and utilizes the back-off windows of the MAC layer throttling data rate. Consequently, the UDP-like flows data rate can be restrained timely by the sources nodes in order to alleviate congestion in the complex networks. The proposed CLRED can constrain the nonresponsive flows availably and make the communication expedite, so that the network can sustain stable. The simulation results of network simulator-2 (NS2) verify the proposed CLRED scheme.

Development of decision support systems for real-time freeway traffic routing : volume II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

Real-time traffic flow routing is a promising approach to alleviating congestion. Existing approaches to developing real-time routing strategies, however, have limitations. This study explored the potential for using case-based reasoning (CBR), an em...

Packet Traffic Dynamics Near Onset of Congestion in Data Communication Network Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawniczak, A. T.; Tang, X.

2006-05-01

The dominant technology of data communication networks is the Packet Switching Network (PSN). It is a complex technology organized as various hierarchical layers according to the International Standard Organization (ISO) Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model. The Network Layer of the ISO OSI Reference Model is responsible for delivering packets from their sources to their destinations and for dealing with congestion if it arises in a network. Thus, we focus on this layer and present an abstraction of the Network Layer of the ISO OSI Reference Model. Using this abstraction we investigate how onset of traffic congestion is affected for various routing algorithms by changes in network connection topology. We study how aggregate measures of network performance depend on network connection topology and routing. We explore packets traffic spatio-temporal dynamics near the phase transition point from free flow to congestion for various network connection topologies and routing algorithms. We consider static and adaptive routings. We present selected simulation results.

Analysis of Aircraft Clusters to Measure Sector-Independent Airspace Congestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilimoria, Karl D.; Lee, Hilda Q.

2005-01-01

The Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept of operations* permits appropriately equipped aircraft to conduct Free Maneuvering operations. These independent aircraft have the freedom to optimize their trajectories in real time according to user preferences; however, they also take on the responsibility to separate themselves from other aircraft while conforming to any local Traffic Flow Management (TFM) constraints imposed by the air traffic service provider (ATSP). Examples of local-TFM constraints include temporal constraints such as a required time of arrival (RTA), as well as spatial constraints such as regions of convective weather, special use airspace, and congested airspace. Under current operations, congested airspace typically refers to a sector(s) that cannot accept additional aircraft due to controller workload limitations; hence Dynamic Density (a metric that is indicative of controller workload) can be used to quantify airspace congestion. However, for Free Maneuvering operations under DAG-TM, an additional metric is needed to quantify the airspace congestion problem from the perspective of independent aircraft. Such a metric would enable the ATSP to prevent independent aircraft from entering any local areas of congestion in which the flight deck based systems and procedures may not be able to ensure separation. This new metric, called Gaggle Density, offers the ATSP a mode of control to regulate normal operations and to ensure safety and stability during rare-normal or off-normal situations (e.g., system failures). It may be difficult to certify Free Maneuvering systems for unrestricted operations, but it may be easier to certify systems and procedures for specified levels of Gaggle Density that could be monitored by the ATSP, and maintained through relatively minor flow-rate (RTA type) restrictions. Since flight deck based separation assurance is airspace independent, the challenge is to measure congestion independent of sector boundaries. Figure 1 , reproduced from Ref. 1, depicts an example traffic situation. When the situation is analyzed by sector boundaries (left side of figure), a Dynamic Density metric would identify excessive congestion in the central sector. When the same traffic situation is analyzed independent of sector boundaries (right side of figure), a Gaggle Density metric would identify congestion in two dynamically defined areas covering portions of several sectors. The first step towards measuring airspace-independent congestion is to identify aircraft clusters, i.e., groups of closely spaced aircraft. The objective of this work is to develop techniques to detect and classify clusters of aircraft.

Traffic flow behavior at un-signalized intersection with crossings pedestrians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khallouk, A.; Echab, H.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.; Lakouari, N.

2018-02-01

Mixed traffic flux composed of crossing pedestrians and vehicles extensively exists in cities. To study the characteristics of the interference traffic flux, we develop a pedestrian-vehicle cellular automata model to present the interaction behaviors on a simple cross road. By realizing the fundamental parameters (i.e. injecting rates α1, α2, the extracting rate β and the pedestrian arrival rate αP), simulations are carried out. The vehicular traffic flux is calculated in terms of rates. The effect of the crosswalk can be regarded as a dynamic impurity. The system phase diagrams in the (α1 ,αP) plane are built. It is found that the phase diagrams consist essentially of four phases namely Free Flow, Congested, Maximal Current and Gridlock. The value of the Maximal current phase depends on the extracting rate β, while the Gridlock phase is achieved only when the pedestrians generating rate is higher than a critical value. Furthermore, the effect of vehicles changing lane (Pch1 ,Pch2) and the location of the crosswalk XP on the dynamic characteristics of vehicles flow are investigated. It is found that traffic situation in the system is slightly enhanced if the location of the crosswalks XP is far from the intersection. However, when Pch1, Pch2 increase, the traffic becomes congested and the Gridlock phase enlarges.

Research on Urban Road Traffic Congestion Charging Based on Sustainable Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Sun

Traffic congestion is a major problem which bothers our urban traffic sustainable development at present. Congestion charging is an effective measure to alleviate urban traffic congestion. The paper first probes into several key issues such as the goal, the pricing, the scope, the method and the redistribution of congestion charging from theoretical angle. Then it introduces congestion charging practice in Singapore and London and draws conclusion and suggestion that traffic congestion charging should take scientific plan, support of public, public transportation development as the premise.

Congestion and flow control in signaling system No. 7: Impacts of intelligent networks and new services

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zepf, J.; Rufa, G.

1994-04-01

This paper focuses on the transient performance analysis of the congestion and flow control mechanisms in CCITT Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). Special attention is directed to the impacts of the introduction of intelligent services and new applications, e.g., Freephone, credit card services, user-to-user signaling, etc. In particular, we show that signaling traffic characteristics like signaling scenarios or signaling message length as well as end-to-end signaling capabilities have a significant influence on the congestion and flow control and, therefore, on the real-time signaling performance. One important result of our performance studies is that if, e.g., intelligent services are introduced, themore » SS7 congestion and flow control does not work correctly. To solve this problem, some reinvestigations into these mechanisms would be necessary. Therefore, some approaches, e.g., modification of the Signaling Connection Control Part (SCCP) congestion control, usage of the SCCP relay function, or a redesign of the MTP flow control procedures are discussed in order to guarantee the efficacy of the congestion and flow control mechanisms also in the future. 16 refs.« less

General phase transition models for vehicular traffic with point constraints on the flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dal Santo, E.; Rosini, M. D.; Dymski, N.; Benyahia, M.

2017-12-01

We generalize the phase transition model studied in [R. Colombo. Hyperbolic phase transition in traffic flow.\\ SIAM J.\\ Appl.\\ Math., 63(2):708-721, 2002], that describes the evolution of vehicular traffic along a one-lane road. Two different phases are taken into account, according to whether the traffic is low or heavy. The model is given by a scalar conservation law in the \\emph{free-flow} phase and by a system of two conservation laws in the \\emph{congested} phase. In particular, we study the resulting Riemann problems in the case a local point constraint on the flux of the solutions is enforced.

Analysis of energy consumption and emission of the heterogeneous traffic flow consisting of traditional vehicles and electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Hong; Huang, Hai-Jun; Tang, Tie-Qiao

2017-12-01

Electric vehicle (EV) has become a potential traffic tool, which has attracted researchers to explore various traffic phenomena caused by EV (e.g. congestion, electricity consumption, etc.). In this paper, we study the energy consumption (including the fuel consumption and the electricity consumption) and emissions of heterogeneous traffic flow (that consists of the traditional vehicle (TV) and EV) under three traffic situations (i.e. uniform flow, shock and rarefaction waves, and a small perturbation) from the perspective of macro traffic flow. The numerical results show that the proportion of electric vehicular flow has great effects on the TV’s fuel consumption and emissions and the EV’s electricity consumption, i.e. the fuel consumption and emissions decrease while the electricity consumption increases with the increase of the proportion of electric vehicular flow. The results can help us better understand the energy consumption and emissions of the heterogeneous traffic flow consisting of TV and EV.

Discovering urban mobility patterns with PageRank based traffic modeling and prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Minjie; Yang, Su; Sun, Yi; Gao, Jun

2017-11-01

Urban transportation system can be viewed as complex network with time-varying traffic flows as links to connect adjacent regions as networked nodes. By computing urban traffic evolution on such temporal complex network with PageRank, it is found that for most regions, there exists a linear relation between the traffic congestion measure at present time and the PageRank value of the last time. Since the PageRank measure of a region does result from the mutual interactions of the whole network, it implies that the traffic state of a local region does not evolve independently but is affected by the evolution of the whole network. As a result, the PageRank values can act as signatures in predicting upcoming traffic congestions. We observe the aforementioned laws experimentally based on the trajectory data of 12000 taxies in Beijing city for one month.

Effect of density feedback on the two-route traffic scenario with bottleneck

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiao-Yan; Ding, Zhong-Jun; Huang, Guo-Hua

2016-12-01

In this paper, we investigate the effect of density feedback on the two-route scenario with a bottleneck. The simulation and theory analysis shows that there exist two critical vehicle entry probabilities αc1 and αc2. When vehicle entry probability α≤αc1, four different states, i.e. free flow state, transition state, maximum current state and congestion state are identified in the system, which correspond to three critical reference densities. However, in the interval αc1<α<αc2, the free flow and transition state disappear, and there is only congestion state when α≥αc2. According to the results, traffic control center can adjust the reference density so that the system is in maximum current state. In this case, the capacity of the traffic system reaches maximum so that drivers can make full use of the roads. We hope that the study results can provide good advice for alleviating traffic jam and be useful to traffic control center for designing advanced traveller information systems.

Impact of traffic oscillations on freeway crash occurrences.

PubMed

Zheng, Zuduo; Ahn, Soyoung; Monsere, Christopher M

2010-03-01

Traffic oscillations are typical features of congested traffic flow that are characterized by recurring decelerations followed by accelerations (stop-and-go driving). The negative environmental impacts of these oscillations are widely accepted, but their impact on traffic safety has been debated. This paper describes the impact of freeway traffic oscillations on traffic safety. This study employs a matched case-control design using high-resolution traffic and crash data from a freeway segment. Traffic conditions prior to each crash were taken as cases, while traffic conditions during the same periods on days without crashes were taken as controls. These were also matched by presence of congestion, geometry and weather. A total of 82 cases and about 80,000 candidate controls were extracted from more than three years of data from 2004 to 2007. Conditional logistic regression models were developed based on the case-control samples. To verify consistency in the results, 20 different sets of controls were randomly extracted from the candidate pool for varying control-case ratios. The results reveal that the standard deviation of speed (thus, oscillations) is a significant variable, with an average odds ratio of about 1.08. This implies that the likelihood of a (rear-end) crash increases by about 8% with an additional unit increase in the standard deviation of speed. The average traffic states prior to crashes were less significant than the speed variations in congestion. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ergodicity of Traffic Flow with Constant Penetration Rate for Traffic Monitoring via Floating Vehicle Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunawan, Fergyanto E.; Abbas, Bahtiar S.; Atmadja, Wiedjaja; Yoseph Chandra, Fajar; Agung, Alexander AS; Kusnandar, Erwin

2014-03-01

Traffic congestion in Asian megacities has become extremely worse, and any means to lessen the congestion level is urgently needed. Building an efficient mass transportation system is clearly necessary. However, implementing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have also been demonstrated effective in various advanced countries. Recently, the floating vehicle technique (FVT), an ITS implementation, has become cost effective to provide real-time traffic information with proliferation of the smartphones. Although many publications have discussed various issues related to the technique, none of them elaborates the discrepancy of a single floating car data (FCD) and the associated fleet data. This work addresses the issue based on an analysis of Sugiyama et al's experimental data. The results indicate that there is an optimum averaging time interval such that the estimated velocity by the FVT reasonably representing the traffic velocity.

Automated Flight Routing Using Stochastic Dynamic Programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, Hok K.; Morando, Alex; Grabbe, Shon

2010-01-01

Airspace capacity reduction due to convective weather impedes air traffic flows and causes traffic congestion. This study presents an algorithm that reroutes flights in the presence of winds, enroute convective weather, and congested airspace based on stochastic dynamic programming. A stochastic disturbance model incorporates into the reroute design process the capacity uncertainty. A trajectory-based airspace demand model is employed for calculating current and future airspace demand. The optimal routes minimize the total expected traveling time, weather incursion, and induced congestion costs. They are compared to weather-avoidance routes calculated using deterministic dynamic programming. The stochastic reroutes have smaller deviation probability than the deterministic counterpart when both reroutes have similar total flight distance. The stochastic rerouting algorithm takes into account all convective weather fields with all severity levels while the deterministic algorithm only accounts for convective weather systems exceeding a specified level of severity. When the stochastic reroutes are compared to the actual flight routes, they have similar total flight time, and both have about 1% of travel time crossing congested enroute sectors on average. The actual flight routes induce slightly less traffic congestion than the stochastic reroutes but intercept more severe convective weather.

Traffic jams induced by fluctuation of a leading car.

PubMed

Nagatani, T

2000-04-01

We present a phase diagram of the different kinds of congested traffic triggered by fluctuation of a leading car in an open system without sources and sinks. Traffic states and density waves are investigated numerically by varying the amplitude of fluctuation using a car following model. The phase transitions among the free traffic, oscillatory congested traffic, and homogeneous congested traffic occur by fluctuation of a leading car. With increasing the amplitude of fluctuation, the transition between the free traffic and oscillatory traffic occurs at lower density and the transition between the homogeneous congested traffic and the oscillatory traffic occurs at higher density. The oscillatory congested traffic corresponds to the coexisting phase. Also, the moving localized clusters appear just above the transition lines.

What do autonomous vehicles mean to traffic congestion and crash? : Network traffic flow modeling and simulation for autonomous vehicles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

Transportation infrastructure is quickly moving towards revolutionary changes to : accommodate the deployment of AVs. On the other hand, the transition to new : vehicle technologies will be shaped in large part by changes in performance of : roadway ...

Study on traffic characteristics for a typical expressway on-ramp bottleneck considering various merging behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jie; Li, Zhipeng; Sun, Jian

2015-12-01

Recurring bottlenecks at freeway/expressway are considered as the main cause of traffic congestion in urban traffic system while on-ramp bottlenecks are the most significant sites that may result in congestion. In this paper, the traffic bottleneck characteristics for a simple and typical expressway on-ramp are investigated by the means of simulation modeling under the open boundary condition. In simulations, the running behaviors of each vehicle are described by a car-following model with a calibrated optimal velocity function, and lane changing actions at the merging section are modeled by a novel set of rules. We numerically derive the traffic volume of on-ramp bottleneck under different upstream arrival rates of mainline and ramp flows. It is found that the vehicles from the ramp strongly affect the pass of mainline vehicles and the merging ratio changes with the increasing of ramp vehicle, when the arrival rate of mainline flow is greater than a critical value. In addition, we clarify the dependence of the merging ratio of on-ramp bottleneck on the probability of lane changing and the length of the merging section, and some corresponding intelligent control strategies are proposed in actual traffic application.

Microscopic Statistical Characterisation of the Congested Traffic Flow and Some Salient Empirical Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Bo; Yoon, Ji Wei; Monterola, Christopher

We present large scale, detailed analysis of the microscopic empirical data of the congested traffic flow, focusing on the non-linear interactions between the components of the many-body traffic system. By implementing a systematic procedure that averages over relatively unimportant factors, we extract the effective dependence of the acceleration on the gap between the vehicles, velocity and relative velocity. Such relationship is characterised not just by a few vehicles but the traffic system as a whole. Several interesting features of the detailed vehicle-to-vehicle interactions are revealed, including the stochastic distribution of the human responses, relative importance of the non-linear terms in different density regimes, symmetric response to the relative velocity, and the insensitivity of the acceleration to the velocity within a certain gap and velocity range. The latter leads to a multitude of steady-states without a fundamental diagram. The empirically constructed functional dependence of the acceleration on the important dynamical quantities not only gives the detailed collective driving behaviours of the traffic system, it also serves as the fundamental reference for the validations of the deterministic and stochastic microscopic traffic models in the literature.

Understanding characteristics in multivariate traffic flow time series from complex network structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Ying; Zhang, Shen; Tang, Jinjun; Wang, Xiaofei

2017-07-01

Discovering dynamic characteristics in traffic flow is the significant step to design effective traffic managing and controlling strategy for relieving traffic congestion in urban cities. A new method based on complex network theory is proposed to study multivariate traffic flow time series. The data were collected from loop detectors on freeway during a year. In order to construct complex network from original traffic flow, a weighted Froenius norm is adopt to estimate similarity between multivariate time series, and Principal Component Analysis is implemented to determine the weights. We discuss how to select optimal critical threshold for networks at different hour in term of cumulative probability distribution of degree. Furthermore, two statistical properties of networks: normalized network structure entropy and cumulative probability of degree, are utilized to explore hourly variation in traffic flow. The results demonstrate these two statistical quantities express similar pattern to traffic flow parameters with morning and evening peak hours. Accordingly, we detect three traffic states: trough, peak and transitional hours, according to the correlation between two aforementioned properties. The classifying results of states can actually represent hourly fluctuation in traffic flow by analyzing annual average hourly values of traffic volume, occupancy and speed in corresponding hours.

Memory effects in microscopic traffic models and wide scattering in flow-density data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treiber, Martin; Helbing, Dirk

2003-10-01

By means of microscopic simulations we show that noninstantaneous adaptation of the driving behavior to the traffic situation together with the conventional method to measure flow-density data provides a possible explanation for the observed inverse-λ shape and the wide scattering of flow-density data in “synchronized” congested traffic. We model a memory effect in the response of drivers to the traffic situation for a wide class of car-following models by introducing an additional dynamical variable (the “subjective level of service”) describing the adaptation of drivers to the surrounding traffic situation during the past few minutes and couple this internal state to parameters of the underlying model that are related to the driving style. For illustration, we use the intelligent-driver model (IDM) as the underlying model, characterize the level of service solely by the velocity, and couple the internal variable to the IDM parameter “time gap” to model an increase of the time gap in congested traffic (“frustration effect”), which is supported by single-vehicle data. We simulate open systems with a bottleneck and obtain flow-density data by implementing “virtual detectors.” The shape, relative size, and apparent “stochasticity” of the region of the scattered data points agree nearly quantitatively with empirical data. Wide scattering is even observed for identical vehicles, although the proposed model is a time-continuous, deterministic, single-lane car-following model with a unique fundamental diagram.

Optimal topology to minimizing congestion in connected communication complex network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benyoussef, M.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.; Benyoussef, A.

In this paper, a new model of the interdependent complex network is proposed, based on two assumptions that (i) the capacity of a node depends on its degree, and (ii) the traffic load depends on the distribution of the links in the network. Based on these assumptions, the presented model proposes a method of connection not based on the node having a higher degree but on the region containing hubs. It is found that the final network exhibits two kinds of degree distribution behavior, depending on the kind and the way of the connection. This study reveals a direct relation between network structure and traffic flow. It is found that pc the point of transition between the free flow and the congested phase depends on the network structure and the degree distribution. Moreover, this new model provides an improvement in the traffic compared to the results found in a single network. The same behavior of degree distribution found in a BA network and observed in the real world is obtained; except for this model, the transition point between the free phase and congested phase is much higher than the one observed in a network of BA, for both static and dynamic protocols.

Heavy vehicle performance during recovery from forced-flow urban freeway conditions due to incidents, work zones and recurring congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-01

Information contained in the Highway Capacity Manual on the influence heavy vehicles have on freeway traffic : operations has been based on few field data collection efforts and relied mostly on traffic simulation efforts. In the : 2010 Manual heavy ...

A systematic evaluation of the impacts of traffic condition information on the reduction of on-road mobile emissions : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

Current Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) allow travelers to change their route, mode, departure time, route choice or destination to avoid delays and congestions, which results in improved traffic flow. This means higher vehicle speed, lo...

Congestion and communication in confined ant traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gravish, Nick; Gold, Gregory; Zangwill, Andrew; Goodisman, Michael A. D.; Goldman, Daniel I.

2014-03-01

Many social animals move and communicate within confined spaces. In subterranean fire ants Solenopsis invicta, mobility within crowded nest tunnels is important for resource and information transport. Within confined tunnels, communication and traffic flow are at odds: trafficking ants communicate through tactile interactions while stopped, yet ants that stop to communicate impose physical obstacles on the traffic. We monitor the bi-directional flow of fire ant workers in laboratory tunnels of varied diameter D. The persistence time of communicating ant aggregations, τ, increases approximately linearly with the number of participating ants, n. The sensitivity of traffic flow increases as D decreases and diverges at a minimum diameter, Dc. A cellular automata model incorporating minimal traffic features--excluded volume and communication duration--reproduces features of the experiment. From the model we identify a competition between information transfer and the need to maintain jam-free traffic flow. We show that by balancing information transfer and traffic flow demands, an optimum group strategy exists which maximizes information throughput. We acknowledge funding from NSF PoLS #0957659 and #PHY-1205878.

The impact of traffic-flow patterns on air quality in urban street canyons.

PubMed

Thaker, Prashant; Gokhale, Sharad

2016-01-01

We investigated the effect of different urban traffic-flow patterns on pollutant dispersion in different winds in a real asymmetric street canyon. Free-flow traffic causes more turbulence in the canyon facilitating more dispersion and a reduction in pedestrian level concentration. The comparison of with and without a vehicle-induced-turbulence revealed that when winds were perpendicular, the free-flow traffic reduced the concentration by 73% on the windward side with a minor increase of 17% on the leeward side, whereas for parallel winds, it reduced the concentration by 51% and 29%. The congested-flow traffic increased the concentrations on the leeward side by 47% when winds were perpendicular posing a higher risk to health, whereas reduced it by 17-42% for parallel winds. The urban air quality and public health can, therefore, be improved by improving the traffic-flow patterns in street canyons as vehicle-induced turbulence has been shown to contribute significantly to dispersion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new bus lane on urban expressway with no-bay bus stop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhao; Jia, Limin

2016-01-01

The sharp increase in residents and vehicles causes heavy traffic pressure in many cities. To ease traffic congestion, it has been the common sense that we should develop public transit system. The priority of the bus appears particularly necessary with the rapid development of the public transport system. The bus lane is an important embodiment of the bus priority. Focusing on the problem of the unreasonable dedicated bus lane (DBL) under the lower ratio of buses, this paper proposed a new bus lane with limited physical length. And this bus lane can reduce the lane-changing conflict caused by the buses and cars running on roads without bus lanes. Based on the cellular automata (CA) traffic flow model and the lane-changing behavior of the vehicle including the optional lane-changing and the mandatory lane-changing, a three-lane traffic model with an isolated no-bay bus stop is proposed. The ordinary three-lane traffic without a bus lane and the cases of traffic with a DBL or the proposed bus lane are simulated, and the comparisons in the form of the fundamental diagrams are made among them. It is shown that the no-bay bus stop can act as a bottleneck on the traffic flow because of the mandatory lane-changing behavior. Under a certain ratio of the bus number to the total vehicles number, (1) the traffic with the proposed bus lane has less lane-changing conflict and can provide higher traffic capacity than the ordinary traffic without a bus lane, (2) compared with the DBL, the proposed bus lane is advantageous in easing congestion on the ordinary lanes when the traffic flow is high and can avoid unreasonable allocation of the road resources.

An Evaluation of Traffic Management at ISF Academy on Kong Sin Wan Road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, M.

2016-12-01

The ISF Academy, a school with 1500 students, is located on Kong Sin Wan Road. The majority of students from the academy commute to school every morning by private cars, school buses and other public transportation. For the past few years, the school management team has been imposing traffic management regulations to alleviate and minimize traffic congestion in the nearby area. In spite of that, traffic management on Kong Sin Wan Road is fairly limited and inadequate, resulting in congestion at the start and finish of the school day. As a school, we are dedicated to reduce and mitigate the number of private cars and school buses, as well as to control carbon dioxide emissions from the variety of vehicles. In order to implement strategies to make improvements to the current traffic management system, we, as a school, aim to establish a systematic approach to calculate and model the number of private cars, EV cars, plug-in hybrids and school buses flowing near the ISF campus every day, and the number of students on each vehicle. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average annual carbon dioxide emission for a typical passenger vehicle is 4.7 metric tons. By multiplying the average carbon dioxide emission by the number of cars coming to campus every morning, we will gain a better understanding of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from school vehicles. To extend the research, we will design a survey to investigate and encourage carpooling between families and students who live close, in order to combat and relieve rising traffic congestion and minimize cars crowding the roads. The traffic study project will not only help the school community create a more environment-friendly campus, but also improve the traffic congestion around the school area.

Dynamics of functional failures and recovery in complex road networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Xianyuan; Ukkusuri, Satish V.; Rao, P. Suresh C.

2017-11-01

We propose a new framework for modeling the evolution of functional failures and recoveries in complex networks, with traffic congestion on road networks as the case study. Differently from conventional approaches, we transform the evolution of functional states into an equivalent dynamic structural process: dual-vertex splitting and coalescing embedded within the original network structure. The proposed model successfully explains traffic congestion and recovery patterns at the city scale based on high-resolution data from two megacities. Numerical analysis shows that certain network structural attributes can amplify or suppress cascading functional failures. Our approach represents a new general framework to model functional failures and recoveries in flow-based networks and allows understanding of the interplay between structure and function for flow-induced failure propagation and recovery.

The Loss of Efficiency Caused by Agents’ Uncoordinated Routing in Transport Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Junjie; Wang, Pu

2014-01-01

Large-scale daily commuting data were combined with detailed geographical information system (GIS) data to analyze the loss of transport efficiency caused by drivers’ uncoordinated routing in urban road networks. We used Price of Anarchy (POA) to quantify the loss of transport efficiency and found that both volume and distribution of human mobility demand determine the POA. In order to reduce POA, a small number of highways require considerable decreases in traffic, and their neighboring arterial roads need to attract more traffic. The magnitude of the adjustment in traffic flow can be estimated using the fundamental measure traffic flow only, which is widely available and easy to collect. Surprisingly, the most congested roads or the roads with largest traffic flow were not those requiring the most reduction of traffic. This study can offer guidance for the optimal control of urban traffic and facilitate improvements in the efficiency of transport networks. PMID:25349995

Traffic congestion and reliability : trends and advanced strategies for congestion mitigation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-01

The report Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Trends and Advanced Strategies for : Congestion Mitigation provides a snapshot of congestion in the United States by : summarizing recent trends in congestion, highlighting the role of travel time : reli...

A research of the community’s opening to the outside world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lan; Liu, Xiangzhuo

2017-03-01

Closed residential areas, called community, the traffic network and result in various degrees of traffic congestion such as amputating, dead ends and T-shaped roads. In order to reveal the mechanism of the congestion, establish an effective evaluation index system and finally provide theoretical basis for the study of traffic congestion, we have done researches on factors for traffic congestion and have established a scientific evaluation index system combining experiences home and abroad, based on domestic congestion status. Firstly, we analyse the traffic network as the entry point, and then establish the evaluation model of road capacity with the method of AHP index system. Secondly, we divide the condition of urban congestion into 5 levels from congestion to smoothness. Besides, with VISSIM software, simulations about traffic capacity before and after community opening are carried out. Finally, we provide forward reasonable suggestions upon the combination of models and reality.

Cellular automata model for traffic flow at intersections in internet of vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Han-Tao; Liu, Xin-Ru; Chen, Xiao-Xu; Lu, Jian-Cheng

2018-03-01

Considering the effect of the front vehicle's speed, the influence of the brake light and the conflict of the traffic flow, we established a cellular automata model called CE-NS for traffic flow at the intersection in the non-vehicle networking environment. According to the information interaction of Internet of Vehicles (IoV), introducing parameters describing the congestion and the accurate speed of the front vehicle into the CE-NS model, we improved the rules of acceleration, deceleration and conflict, and finally established a cellular automata model for traffic flow at intersections of IoV. The relationship between traffic parameters such as vehicle speed, flow and average travel time is obtained by numerical simulation of two models. Based on this, we compared the traffic situation of the non-vehicle networking environment with conditions of IoV environment, and analyzed the influence of the different degree of IoV on the traffic flow. The results show that the traffic speed is increased, the travel time is reduced, the flux of intersections is increased and the traffic flow is more smoothly under IoV environment. After the vehicle which achieves IoV reaches a certain proportion, the operation effect of the traffic flow begins to improve obviously.

Optimized Structure of the Traffic Flow Forecasting Model With a Deep Learning Approach.

PubMed

Yang, Hao-Fan; Dillon, Tharam S; Chen, Yi-Ping Phoebe

2017-10-01

Forecasting accuracy is an important issue for successful intelligent traffic management, especially in the domain of traffic efficiency and congestion reduction. The dawning of the big data era brings opportunities to greatly improve prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel model, stacked autoencoder Levenberg-Marquardt model, which is a type of deep architecture of neural network approach aiming to improve forecasting accuracy. The proposed model is designed using the Taguchi method to develop an optimized structure and to learn traffic flow features through layer-by-layer feature granulation with a greedy layerwise unsupervised learning algorithm. It is applied to real-world data collected from the M6 freeway in the U.K. and is compared with three existing traffic predictors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that an optimized structure of the traffic flow forecasting model with a deep learning approach is presented. The evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed model with an optimized structure has superior performance in traffic flow forecasting.

Price of anarchy is maximized at the percolation threshold.

PubMed

Skinner, Brian

2015-05-01

When many independent users try to route traffic through a network, the flow can easily become suboptimal as a consequence of congestion of the most efficient paths. The degree of this suboptimality is quantified by the so-called price of anarchy (POA), but so far there are no general rules for when to expect a large POA in a random network. Here I address this question by introducing a simple model of flow through a network with randomly placed congestible and incongestible links. I show that the POA is maximized precisely when the fraction of congestible links matches the percolation threshold of the lattice. Both the POA and the total cost demonstrate critical scaling near the percolation threshold.

The impact of self-driving cars on existing transportation networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Xiang

2018-04-01

In this paper, considering the usage of self-driving, I research the congestion problems of traffic networks from both macro and micro levels. Firstly, the macroscopic mathematical model is established using the Greenshields function, analytic hierarchy process and Monte Carlo simulation, where the congestion level is divided into five levels according to the average vehicle speed. The roads with an obvious congestion situation is investigated mainly and the traffic flow and topology of the roads are analyzed firstly. By processing the data, I propose a traffic congestion model. In the model, I assume that half of the non-self-driving cars only take the shortest route and the other half can choose the path randomly. While self-driving cars can obtain vehicle density data of each road and choose the path more reasonable. When the path traffic density exceeds specific value, it cannot be selected. To overcome the dimensional differences of data, I rate the paths by BORDA sorting. The Monte Carlo simulation of Cellular Automaton is used to obtain the negative feedback information of the density of the traffic network, where the vehicles are added into the road network one by one. I then analyze the influence of negative feedback information on path selection of intelligent cars. The conclusion is that the increase of the proportion of intelligent vehicles will make the road load more balanced, and the self-driving cars can avoid the peak and reduce the degree of road congestion. Combined with other models, the optimal self-driving ratio is about sixty-two percent. From the microscopic aspect, by using the single-lane traffic NS rule, another model is established to analyze the road Partition scheme. The self-driving traffic is more intelligent, and their cooperation can reduce the random deceleration probability. By the model, I get the different self-driving ratio of space-time distribution. I also simulate the case of making a lane separately for self-driving, compared to the former model. It is concluded that a single lane is more efficient in a certain interval. However, it is not recommended to offer a lane separately. However, the self-driving also faces the problem of hacker attacks and greater damage after fault. So, when self-driving ratio is higher than a certain value, the increase of traffic flow rate is small. In this article, that value is discussed, and the optimal proportion is determined. Finally, I give a nontechnical explanation of the problem.

Phase transitions in traffic flow on multilane roads.

PubMed

Kerner, Boris S; Klenov, Sergey L

2009-11-01

Based on empirical and numerical analyses of vehicular traffic, the physics of spatiotemporal phase transitions in traffic flow on multilane roads is revealed. The complex dynamics of moving jams observed in single vehicle data measured by video cameras on American highways is explained by the nucleation-interruption effect in synchronized flow, i.e., the spontaneous nucleation of a narrow moving jam with the subsequent jam dissolution. We find that (i) lane changing, vehicle merging from on-ramps, and vehicle leaving to off-ramps result in different traffic phases-free flow, synchronized flow, and wide moving jams-occurring and coexisting in different road lanes as well as in diverse phase transitions between the traffic phases; (ii) in synchronized flow, the phase transitions are responsible for a non-regular moving jam dynamics that explains measured single vehicle data: moving jams emerge and dissolve randomly at various road locations in different lanes; (iii) the phase transitions result also in diverse expanded general congested patterns occurring at closely located bottlenecks.

Study on the propagation and dissipation of inland ship congestion under different control strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanyi; Wu, Hongyu; Wen, Zhe

2017-05-01

Inland waterway transportation is an important part of the comprehensive transportation system of sustainable development, and it is also a way of transportation which is restricted by natural conditions greatly. In recent years, the problems of insufficient traffic capacity of The Three Gorges become prominent due to the increasing in the number of ships. And the ship's detention caused by gale, frog, accident and one-way traffic in dry season has occurred, which not only increased the pressure of the navigable waterway but also seriously affected the safety of shipping. Based on the different types of ships, the Arena software was used to simulate the ship traffic flow. The paper analyzed the traffic congestion propagation and dissipation rule of the ship under different navigation control methods, and provided decision reference for the navigation management department to formulate the relevant navigation control strategy.

A two-lane cellular automaton traffic flow model with the influence of driver, vehicle and road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Han-Tao; Nie, Cen; Li, Jing-Ru; Wei, Yu-Ao

2016-07-01

On the basis of one-lane comfortable driving model, this paper established a two-lane traffic cellular automata model, which improves the slow randomization effected by brake light. Considering the driver psychological characteristics and mixed traffic, we studied the lateral influence between vehicles on adjacent lanes. Through computer simulation, the space-time diagram and the fundamental figure under different conditions are obtained. The study found that aggressive driver makes a slight congestion in low-density traffic and improves the capacity of high-density traffic, when the density exceeds 20pcu/km the more aggressive drivers the greater the flow, when the density below 40pcu/km driver character makes an effect, the more cautious driver, the lower the flow. The ratio of big cars has the same effect as the ratio of aggressive drivers. Brake lights have the greatest impact on traffic flow and when the density exceeds 10pcu/km the traffic flow fluctuates. Under periodic boundary conditions, the disturbance of road length on traffic is minimal. The lateral influence only play a limited role in the medium-density conditions, and only affect the average speed of traffic at low density.

Fixed Point Learning Based Intelligent Traffic Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zongyao, Wang; Cong, Sui; Cheng, Shao

2017-10-01

Fixed point learning has become an important tool to analyse large scale distributed system such as urban traffic network. This paper presents a fixed point learning based intelligence traffic network control system. The system applies convergence property of fixed point theorem to optimize the traffic flow density. The intelligence traffic control system achieves maximum road resources usage by averaging traffic flow density among the traffic network. The intelligence traffic network control system is built based on decentralized structure and intelligence cooperation. No central control is needed to manage the system. The proposed system is simple, effective and feasible for practical use. The performance of the system is tested via theoretical proof and simulations. The results demonstrate that the system can effectively solve the traffic congestion problem and increase the vehicles average speed. It also proves that the system is flexible, reliable and feasible for practical use.

Performance Evaluation of FAST TCP Traffic-Flows in Multihomed MANETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mudassir, Mumajjed Ul; Akram, Adeel

In Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) an efficient communication protocol is required at the transport layer. Mobile nodes moving around will have temporary and rather short-lived connectivity with each other and the Internet, thus requiring efficient utilization of network resources. Moreover the problems arising due to high mobility, collision and congestion must also be considered. Multihoming allows higher reliability and enhancement of network throughput. FAST TCP is a new promising transport layer protocol developed for high-speed high-latency networks. In this paper, we have analyzed the performance of FAST TCP traffic flows in multihomed MANETs and compared it with standard TCP (TCP Reno) traffic flows in non-multihomed MANETs.

Impact of traffic composition on accessibility as indicator of transport sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahdalina; Hadiwardoyo, S. P.; Nahry

2017-05-01

Sustainable transport is closely related to quality of life in the community at present and in the future. Some indicators of transport sustainability are accessibility measurement of origin/destination, the operating costs of transport (vehicle operating cost or VOC) and external transportation costs (emission cost). The indicators could be combined into accessibility measurement model. In other case, almost traffic congestion occurred on the condition of mixed traffic. This paper aimed to analyse the indicator of transport sustainability through simulation under condition of various traffic composition. Various composition of truck to total traffic flow are 0%, 10% and 20%. Speed and V/C are calculated from traffic flow to estimate the VOC and emission cost. 5 VOC components and 3 types of emission cost (CO2, CH4 and N2O) are counted to be a travel cost. Accessibility measurement was calculated using travel cost and gravity model approaches. Result of the research shows that the total traffic flow has indirect impact on accessibility measurement if using travel cost approach. Meanwhile, the composition of traffic flow has an affect on accessibility measurement if using gravity model approach.

Congestion control strategy on complex network with privilege traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shi-Bao; He, Ya; Liu, Jian-Hang; Zhang, Zhi-Gang; Huang, Jun-Wei

The congestion control of traffic is one of the most important studies in complex networks. In the previous congestion algorithms, all the network traffic is assumed to have the same priority, and the privilege of traffic is ignored. In this paper, a privilege and common traffic congestion control routing strategy (PCR) based on the different priority of traffic is proposed, which can be devised to cope with the different traffic congestion situations. We introduce the concept of privilege traffic in traffic dynamics for the first time and construct a new traffic model which taking into account requirements with different priorities. Besides, a new factor Ui is introduced by the theoretical derivation to characterize the interaction between different traffic routing selection, furthermore, Ui is related to the network throughput. Since the joint optimization among different kinds of traffic is accomplished by PCR, the maximum value of Ui can be significantly reduced and the network performance can be improved observably. The simulation results indicate that the network throughput with PCR has a better performance than the other strategies. Moreover, the network capacity is improved by 25% at least. Additionally, the network throughput is also influenced by privilege traffic number and traffic priority.

Traffic Feasibility Study for a Grade Separator at a Busy Intersection in Vellore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasantha Kumar, S.; Gulati, Himanshu; Arora, Shivam

2017-11-01

One of the byproduct of urbanization is traffic congestion and before suggesting any solutions to reduce congestion, understanding the present context becomes very important. Study of traffic volumes at busy intersections to find the percentage composition of different vehicle types, directional distribution and peak hour traffic volume is a first step towards understanding the present context of traffic. Hence in the present study, one of the busy intersections in Vellore, namely, Gandhi nagar intersection in Vellore-Katpadi road was selected and traffic flow data was collected using video surveys. It was found that at the selected intersection, the two wheelers and three wheelers alone share 80% of the total traffic when compared to other vehicle types. Nearly 700 trucks and multi axle trailers were observed to pass through the intersection during the analysis period of five hours. That is, on an average 2 trucks/multi axle trailers were passing through the intersection in each minute. As like in other major cities, entry of trucks and other heavy vehicles such as multi axle trailers into the city needs to be banned during peak hours for smooth flow of traffic within city limits. A highest hourly volume of 6939 PCU’s was observed between 4 and 5 pm at the selected intersection. By assuming a 10% uniform traffic growth every year, it was found that after about 4 years, i.e., in 2019, the traffic volume at the intersection may reach 10,000 PCU’s and may warrant for a grade separator or interchange at the intersection.

Prediction based active ramp metering control strategy with mobility and safety assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Jie; Tu, Lili

2018-04-01

Ramp metering is one of the most direct and efficient motorway traffic flow management measures so as to improve traffic conditions. However, owing to short of traffic conditions prediction, in earlier studies, the impact on traffic flow dynamics of the applied RM control was not quantitatively evaluated. In this study, a RM control algorithm adopting Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework to predict and assess future traffic conditions, which taking both the current traffic conditions and the RM-controlled future traffic states into consideration, was presented. The designed RM control algorithm targets at optimizing the network mobility and safety performance. The designed algorithm is evaluated in a field-data-based simulation. Through comparing the presented algorithm controlled scenario with the uncontrolled scenario, it was proved that the proposed RM control algorithm can effectively relieve the congestion of traffic network with no significant compromises in safety aspect.

Using temporal detrending to observe the spatial correlation of traffic.

PubMed

Ermagun, Alireza; Chatterjee, Snigdhansu; Levinson, David

2017-01-01

This empirical study sheds light on the spatial correlation of traffic links under different traffic regimes. We mimic the behavior of real traffic by pinpointing the spatial correlation between 140 freeway traffic links in a major sub-network of the Minneapolis-St. Paul freeway system with a grid-like network topology. This topology enables us to juxtapose the positive and negative correlation between links, which has been overlooked in short-term traffic forecasting models. To accurately and reliably measure the correlation between traffic links, we develop an algorithm that eliminates temporal trends in three dimensions: (1) hourly dimension, (2) weekly dimension, and (3) system dimension for each link. The spatial correlation of traffic links exhibits a stronger negative correlation in rush hours, when congestion affects route choice. Although this correlation occurs mostly in parallel links, it is also observed upstream, where travelers receive information and are able to switch to substitute paths. Irrespective of the time-of-day and day-of-week, a strong positive correlation is witnessed between upstream and downstream links. This correlation is stronger in uncongested regimes, as traffic flow passes through consecutive links more quickly and there is no congestion effect to shift or stall traffic. The extracted spatial correlation structure can augment the accuracy of short-term traffic forecasting models.

Using temporal detrending to observe the spatial correlation of traffic

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This empirical study sheds light on the spatial correlation of traffic links under different traffic regimes. We mimic the behavior of real traffic by pinpointing the spatial correlation between 140 freeway traffic links in a major sub-network of the Minneapolis—St. Paul freeway system with a grid-like network topology. This topology enables us to juxtapose the positive and negative correlation between links, which has been overlooked in short-term traffic forecasting models. To accurately and reliably measure the correlation between traffic links, we develop an algorithm that eliminates temporal trends in three dimensions: (1) hourly dimension, (2) weekly dimension, and (3) system dimension for each link. The spatial correlation of traffic links exhibits a stronger negative correlation in rush hours, when congestion affects route choice. Although this correlation occurs mostly in parallel links, it is also observed upstream, where travelers receive information and are able to switch to substitute paths. Irrespective of the time-of-day and day-of-week, a strong positive correlation is witnessed between upstream and downstream links. This correlation is stronger in uncongested regimes, as traffic flow passes through consecutive links more quickly and there is no congestion effect to shift or stall traffic. The extracted spatial correlation structure can augment the accuracy of short-term traffic forecasting models. PMID:28472093

Traffic congestion and reliability : linking solutions to problems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-07-19

The Traffic Congestion and Reliability: Linking Solutions to Problems Report provides : a snapshot of congestion in the United States by summarizing recent trends in : congestion, highlighting the role of unreliable travel times in the effects of con...

Surveying traffic congestion based on the concept of community structure of complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Lili; Zhang, Zhanli; Li, Meng

2016-07-01

In this paper, taking the traffic of Beijing city as an instance, we study city traffic states, especially traffic congestion, based on the concept of network community structure. Concretely, using the floating car data (FCD) information of vehicles gained from the intelligent transport system (ITS) of the city, we construct a new traffic network model which is with floating cars as network nodes and time-varying. It shows that this traffic network has Gaussian degree distributions at different time points. Furthermore, compared with free traffic situations, our simulations show that the traffic network generally has more obvious community structures with larger values of network fitness for congested traffic situations, and through the GPSspg web page, we show that all of our results are consistent with the reality. Then, it indicates that network community structure should be an available way for investigating city traffic congestion problems.

Communication efficiency and congestion of signal traffic in large-scale brain networks.

PubMed

Mišić, Bratislav; Sporns, Olaf; McIntosh, Anthony R

2014-01-01

The complex connectivity of the cerebral cortex suggests that inter-regional communication is a primary function. Using computational modeling, we show that anatomical connectivity may be a major determinant for global information flow in brain networks. A macaque brain network was implemented as a communication network in which signal units flowed between grey matter nodes along white matter paths. Compared to degree-matched surrogate networks, information flow on the macaque brain network was characterized by higher loss rates, faster transit times and lower throughput, suggesting that neural connectivity may be optimized for speed rather than fidelity. Much of global communication was mediated by a "rich club" of hub regions: a sub-graph comprised of high-degree nodes that are more densely interconnected with each other than predicted by chance. First, macaque communication patterns most closely resembled those observed for a synthetic rich club network, but were less similar to those seen in a synthetic small world network, suggesting that the former is a more fundamental feature of brain network topology. Second, rich club regions attracted the most signal traffic and likewise, connections between rich club regions carried more traffic than connections between non-rich club regions. Third, a number of rich club regions were significantly under-congested, suggesting that macaque connectivity actively shapes information flow, funneling traffic towards some nodes and away from others. Together, our results indicate a critical role of the rich club of hub nodes in dynamic aspects of global brain communication.

Communication Efficiency and Congestion of Signal Traffic in Large-Scale Brain Networks

PubMed Central

Mišić, Bratislav; Sporns, Olaf; McIntosh, Anthony R.

2014-01-01

The complex connectivity of the cerebral cortex suggests that inter-regional communication is a primary function. Using computational modeling, we show that anatomical connectivity may be a major determinant for global information flow in brain networks. A macaque brain network was implemented as a communication network in which signal units flowed between grey matter nodes along white matter paths. Compared to degree-matched surrogate networks, information flow on the macaque brain network was characterized by higher loss rates, faster transit times and lower throughput, suggesting that neural connectivity may be optimized for speed rather than fidelity. Much of global communication was mediated by a “rich club” of hub regions: a sub-graph comprised of high-degree nodes that are more densely interconnected with each other than predicted by chance. First, macaque communication patterns most closely resembled those observed for a synthetic rich club network, but were less similar to those seen in a synthetic small world network, suggesting that the former is a more fundamental feature of brain network topology. Second, rich club regions attracted the most signal traffic and likewise, connections between rich club regions carried more traffic than connections between non-rich club regions. Third, a number of rich club regions were significantly under-congested, suggesting that macaque connectivity actively shapes information flow, funneling traffic towards some nodes and away from others. Together, our results indicate a critical role of the rich club of hub nodes in dynamic aspects of global brain communication. PMID:24415931

76 FR 34848 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW), Elizabeth River, Southern...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... until December 20, 2013, relieving vehicular traffic congestion during the weekday and weekend daytime... final temporary could result in additional vehicular traffic congestion without providing any additional... anticipates continued vehicular traffic congestion over the Gilmerton Highway Bridge due to the reduction of...

Social dilemma structure hidden behind traffic flow with route selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Jun; Nakamura, Kousuke

2016-10-01

Several traffic flows contain social dilemma structures. Herein, we explored a route-selection problem using a cellular automaton simulation dovetailed with evolutionary game theory. In our model, two classes of driver-agents coexist: D agents (defective strategy), which refer to traffic information for route selection to move fast, and C agents (cooperative strategy), which are insensitive to information and less inclined to move fast. Although no evidence suggests that the social dilemma structure in low density causes vehicles to move freely and that in high density causes traffic jams, we found a structure that corresponds to an n-person (multiplayer) Chicken (n-Chicken) game if the provided traffic information is inappropriate. If appropriate traffic information is given to the agents, the n-Chicken game can be solved. The information delivered to vehicles is crucial for easing the social dilemma due to urban traffic congestion when developing technologies to support the intelligent transportation system (ITS).

A cellular automaton model for ship traffic flow in waterways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Le; Zheng, Zhongyi; Gang, Longhui

2017-04-01

With the development of marine traffic, waterways become congested and more complicated traffic phenomena in ship traffic flow are observed. It is important and necessary to build a ship traffic flow model based on cellular automata (CAs) to study the phenomena and improve marine transportation efficiency and safety. Spatial discretization rules for waterways and update rules for ship movement are two important issues that are very different from vehicle traffic. To solve these issues, a CA model for ship traffic flow, called a spatial-logical mapping (SLM) model, is presented. In this model, the spatial discretization rules are improved by adding a mapping rule. And the dynamic ship domain model is considered in the update rules to describe ships' interaction more exactly. Take the ship traffic flow in the Singapore Strait for example, some simulations were carried out and compared. The simulations show that the SLM model could avoid ship pseudo lane-change efficiently, which is caused by traditional spatial discretization rules. The ship velocity change in the SLM model is consistent with the measured data. At finally, from the fundamental diagram, the relationship between traffic ability and the lengths of ships is explored. The number of ships in the waterway declines when the proportion of large ships increases.

Multi-Scale Visualization Analysis of Bus Flow Average Travel Speed in Qingdao

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, HAN; Man, GAO; Xiao-Lei, ZHANG; Jie, LI; Ge, CHEN

2016-11-01

Public transportation is a kind of complex spatiotemporal behaviour. The traffic congestion and environmental pollution caused by the increase in private cars is becoming more and more serious in our city. Spatiotemporal data visualization is an effective tool for studying traffic, transforming non-visual data into recognizable images, which can reveal where/when congestion is formed, developed and disappeared in space and time simultaneously. This paper develops a multi-scale visualization of average travel speed derived from floating bus data, to enable congestion on urban bus networks to be shown and analyzed. The techniques of R language, Echarts, WebGL are used to draw statistical pictures and 3D wall map, which show the congestion in Qingdao from the view of space and time. The results are as follows:(1) There is a more severely delay in Shibei and Shinan areas than Licun and Laoshan areas; (2) The high congestion usually occurs on Hong Kong Middle Road, Shandong Road, Nanjing Road, Liaoyang West Road and Taiping Road;(3) There is a similar law from Monday to Sunday that the congestion is severer in the morning and evening rush hours than other hours; (4) On Monday morning the severity of congestion is higher than on Friday morning, and on Friday evening the severity is higher than on Monday evening. The research results will help to improve the public transportation of Qingdao.

Studies of vehicle overtaking dynamics and its influence on traffic flow at a bidirectional road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echab, H.; Marzoug, R.; Lakouari, N.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.

For the purposes of optimizing traffic flow composed of different types of vehicles, it is important to understand the interactions between them. This paper proposes a cellular automata model to investigate a bidirectional two-lane traffic flow under the periodic boundary condition. The vehicle flux and the phase diagrams of the system in the (ρ1,ρ2) space are constructed by applying two different overtaking models (symmetric, asymmetric). The inter-lane correlation and the overtaking frequency are also studied. The simulation results show that the variation of the density of one lane has an apparent influence on the traffic of the adjacent lane. Furthermore, it is found that the phase diagram on both models is classified into several regions. Thus, for the symmetric model, as the overtaking probability increases, the traffic on the system becomes better. Likewise, the results also indicate that the asymmetric model can effectively enhance the traffic capacity and alleviate the congested state.

Mobile phones in a traffic flow: a geographical perspective to evening rush hour traffic analysis using call detail records.

PubMed

Järv, Olle; Ahas, Rein; Saluveer, Erki; Derudder, Ben; Witlox, Frank

2012-01-01

Excessive land use and suburbanisation around densely populated urban areas has gone hand in hand with a growth in overall transportation and discussions about causality of traffic congestions. The objective of this paper is to gain new insight regarding the composition of traffic flows, and to reveal how and to what extent suburbanites' travelling affects rush hour traffic. We put forward an alternative methodological approach using call detail records of mobile phones to assess the composition of traffic flows during the evening rush hour in Tallinn, Estonia. We found that daily commuting and suburbanites influence transportation demand by amplifying the evening rush hour traffic, although daily commuting trips comprises only 31% of all movement at that time. The geography of the Friday evening rush hour is distinctive from other working days, presumably in connection with domestic tourism and leisure time activities. This suggests that the rise of the overall mobility of individuals due to societal changes may play a greater role in evening rush hour traffic conditions than does the impact of suburbanisation.

Mobile Phones in a Traffic Flow: A Geographical Perspective to Evening Rush Hour Traffic Analysis Using Call Detail Records

PubMed Central

Järv, Olle; Ahas, Rein; Saluveer, Erki; Derudder, Ben; Witlox, Frank

2012-01-01

Excessive land use and suburbanisation around densely populated urban areas has gone hand in hand with a growth in overall transportation and discussions about causality of traffic congestions. The objective of this paper is to gain new insight regarding the composition of traffic flows, and to reveal how and to what extent suburbanites’ travelling affects rush hour traffic. We put forward an alternative methodological approach using call detail records of mobile phones to assess the composition of traffic flows during the evening rush hour in Tallinn, Estonia. We found that daily commuting and suburbanites influence transportation demand by amplifying the evening rush hour traffic, although daily commuting trips comprises only 31% of all movement at that time. The geography of the Friday evening rush hour is distinctive from other working days, presumably in connection with domestic tourism and leisure time activities. This suggests that the rise of the overall mobility of individuals due to societal changes may play a greater role in evening rush hour traffic conditions than does the impact of suburbanisation. PMID:23155461

75 FR 69906 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW), Elizabeth River, Southern...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-16

... opening periods for the bridge during the day, relieving vehicular traffic congestion during the weekday... the rush hour periods and on the weekends, we anticipate a decrease in vehicular traffic congestion... vehicular traffic congestion over the Gilmerton Highway Bridge due to the reduction of highway lanes and...

Impact of traffic congestion on road accidents: a spatial analysis of the M25 motorway in England.

PubMed

Wang, Chao; Quddus, Mohammed A; Ison, Stephen G

2009-07-01

Traffic congestion and road accidents are two external costs of transport and the reduction of their impacts is often one of the primary objectives for transport policy makers. The relationship between traffic congestion and road accidents however is not apparent and less studied. It is speculated that there may be an inverse relationship between traffic congestion and road accidents, and as such this poses a potential dilemma for transport policy makers. This study aims to explore the impact of traffic congestion on the frequency of road accidents using a spatial analysis approach, while controlling for other relevant factors that may affect road accidents. The M25 London orbital motorway, divided into 70 segments, was chosen to conduct this study and relevant data on road accidents, traffic and road characteristics were collected. A robust technique has been developed to map M25 accidents onto its segments. Since existing studies have often used a proxy to measure the level of congestion, this study has employed a precise congestion measurement. A series of Poisson based non-spatial (such as Poisson-lognormal and Poisson-gamma) and spatial (Poisson-lognormal with conditional autoregressive priors) models have been used to account for the effects of both heterogeneity and spatial correlation. The results suggest that traffic congestion has little or no impact on the frequency of road accidents on the M25 motorway. All other relevant factors have provided results consistent with existing studies.

Effects on respiratory health of a reduction in air pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions

PubMed Central

Burr, M; Karani, G; Davies, B; Holmes, B; Williams, K

2004-01-01

Aims: To determine whether residents of congested streets have a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than residents of nearby uncongested streets, and whether their respiratory health improves following a reduction in exposure to traffic related air pollutants. Methods: An area was identified where certain streets were subject to air pollution from heavy road traffic, which was likely to improve following the construction of a by-pass. A respiratory survey was conducted among the residents, together with the residents of nearby uncongested streets, at baseline and again a year after the by-pass opened. Measurements were made of air pollutant concentrations in both areas on both occasions. Results: Initial concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were substantially higher in the congested than in the uncongested streets. When the by-pass opened, the volume of heavy goods traffic fell by nearly 50%. PM10 decreased by 23% (8.0 µg/m3) in the congested streets and by 29% (3.4 µg/m3) in the uncongested streets, with similar proportionate falls in PM2.5. There were no clear or consistent differences between the residents of the two areas initially in terms of symptoms or peak flow variability. Repeat questionnaires were obtained from 165 and 283 subjects in the congested and uncongested areas respectively, and showed a tendency for most symptoms to improve in both areas. For chest symptoms, the improvement tended to be greater in the uncongested area, although the difference between the areas was not statistically significant. Rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis tended to improve to a greater extent in the congested streets; the difference between the areas was significant for the degree to which rhinitis interfered with daily activities. Peak flow variability tended to improve in the uncongested area. Conclusions: The by-pass reduced pollutant levels to a degree that probably alleviates rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis but has little effect on lower respiratory symptoms. PMID:14985515

Automation of Data Traffic Control on DSM Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frumkin, Michael; Jin, Hao-Qiang; Yan, Jerry

2001-01-01

The design of distributed shared memory (DSM) computers liberates users from the duty to distribute data across processors and allows for the incremental development of parallel programs using, for example, OpenMP or Java threads. DSM architecture greatly simplifies the development of parallel programs having good performance on a few processors. However, to achieve a good program scalability on DSM computers requires that the user understand data flow in the application and use various techniques to avoid data traffic congestions. In this paper we discuss a number of such techniques, including data blocking, data placement, data transposition and page size control and evaluate their efficiency on the NAS (NASA Advanced Supercomputing) Parallel Benchmarks. We also present a tool which automates the detection of constructs causing data congestions in Fortran array oriented codes and advises the user on code transformations for improving data traffic in the application.

A hierarchical framework for air traffic control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Kaushik

Air travel in recent years has been plagued by record delays, with over $8 billion in direct operating costs being attributed to 100 million flight delay minutes in 2007. Major contributing factors to delay include weather, congestion, and aging infrastructure; the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) aims to alleviate these delays through an upgrade of the air traffic control system. Changes to large-scale networked systems such as air traffic control are complicated by the need for coordinated solutions over disparate temporal and spatial scales. Individual air traffic controllers must ensure aircraft maintain safe separation locally with a time horizon of seconds to minutes, whereas regional plans are formulated to efficiently route flows of aircraft around weather and congestion on the order of every hour. More efficient control algorithms that provide a coordinated solution are required to safely handle a larger number of aircraft in a fixed amount of airspace. Improved estimation algorithms are also needed to provide accurate aircraft state information and situational awareness for human controllers. A hierarchical framework is developed to simultaneously solve the sometimes conflicting goals of regional efficiency and local safety. Careful attention is given in defining the interactions between the layers of this hierarchy. In this way, solutions to individual air traffic problems can be targeted and implemented as needed. First, the regional traffic flow management problem is posed as an optimization problem and shown to be NP-Hard. Approximation methods based on aggregate flow models are developed to enable real-time implementation of algorithms that reduce the impact of congestion and adverse weather. Second, the local trajectory design problem is solved using a novel slot-based sector model. This model is used to analyze sector capacity under varying traffic patterns, providing a more comprehensive understanding of how increased automation in NextGen will affect the overall performance of air traffic control. The dissertation also provides solutions to several key estimation problems that support corresponding control tasks. Throughout the development of these estimation algorithms, aircraft motion is modeled using hybrid systems, which encapsulate both the discrete flight mode of an aircraft and the evolution of continuous states such as position and velocity. The target-tracking problem is posed as one of hybrid state estimation, and two new algorithms are developed to exploit structure specific to aircraft motion, especially near airports. First, discrete mode evolution is modeled using state-dependent transitions, in which the likelihood of changing flight modes is dependent on aircraft state. Second, an estimator is designed for systems with limited mode changes, including arrival aircraft. Improved target tracking facilitates increased safety in collision avoidance and trajectory design problems. A multiple-target tracking and identity management algorithm is developed to improve situational awareness for controllers about multiple maneuvering targets in a congested region. Finally, tracking algorithms are extended to predict aircraft landing times; estimated time of arrival prediction is one example of important decision support information for air traffic control.

A new approach to monitoring and alerting congestion in airspace sectors

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-09-28

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS)currently declares an alert for any 15 minute interval in which the predicted demand exceeds the Monitor/Alert Parameter (MAP)for any airport, sector, or fix. For airports...

Traffic Congestion on a University Campus: A Consideration of Unconventional Remedies to Nontraditional Transportation Patterns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Dave; Clapper, Thomas

2007-01-01

U.S. transportation data suggest that the number of vehicle miles traveled has far surpassed new capacity, resulting in increased traffic congestion in many communities throughout the country. This article reports on traffic congestion around a university campus located within a small town. The mix of trip purposes varies considerably in this…

A Novel Biobjective Risk-Based Model for Stochastic Air Traffic Network Flow Optimization Problem.

PubMed

Cai, Kaiquan; Jia, Yaoguang; Zhu, Yanbo; Xiao, Mingming

2015-01-01

Network-wide air traffic flow management (ATFM) is an effective way to alleviate demand-capacity imbalances globally and thereafter reduce airspace congestion and flight delays. The conventional ATFM models assume the capacities of airports or airspace sectors are all predetermined. However, the capacity uncertainties due to the dynamics of convective weather may make the deterministic ATFM measures impractical. This paper investigates the stochastic air traffic network flow optimization (SATNFO) problem, which is formulated as a weighted biobjective 0-1 integer programming model. In order to evaluate the effect of capacity uncertainties on ATFM, the operational risk is modeled via probabilistic risk assessment and introduced as an extra objective in SATNFO problem. Computation experiments using real-world air traffic network data associated with simulated weather data show that presented model has far less constraints compared to stochastic model with nonanticipative constraints, which means our proposed model reduces the computation complexity.

Simulation of three lanes one-way freeway in low visibility weather by possible traffic accidents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Ming-bao; Zheng, Sha-sha; Cai, Zhang-hui

2015-09-01

The aim of this work is to investigate the traffic impact of low visibility weather on a freeway including the fraction of real vehicle rear-end accidents and road traffic capacity. Based on symmetric two-lane Nagel-Schreckenberg (STNS) model, a cellular automaton model of three-lane freeway mainline with the real occurrence of rear-end accidents in low visibility weather, which considers delayed reaction time and deceleration restriction, was established with access to real-time traffic information of intelligent transportation system (ITS). The characteristics of traffic flow in different visibility weather were discussed via the simulation experiments. The results indicate that incoming flow control (decreasing upstream traffic volume) and inputting variable speed limits (VSL) signal are effective in accident reducing and road actual traffic volume's enhancing. According to different visibility and traffic demand the appropriate control strategies should be adopted in order to not only decrease the probability of vehicle accidents but also avoid congestion.

Traffic congestion and blood pressure elevation: A comparative cross-sectional study in Lebanon.

PubMed

Bou Samra, Patrick; El Tomb, Paul; Hosni, Mohammad; Kassem, Ahmad; Rizk, Robin; Shayya, Sami; Assaad, Sarah

2017-12-01

This comparative cross-sectional study examines the association between traffic congestion and elevation of systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels among a convenience sample of 310 drivers. Data collection took place during a gas station pause at a fixed time of day. Higher average systolic (142 vs 123 mm Hg) and diastolic (87 vs 78 mm Hg) blood pressures were detected among drivers exposed to traffic congestion compared with those who were not exposed (P<.001), while controlling for body mass index, age, sex, pack-year smoking, driving hours per week, and occupational driving. Moreover, among persons exposed to traffic congestion, longer exposure time was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms of the significant association between elevated blood pressure and traffic congestion. ©2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nonlinear density wave investigation for an extended car-following model considering driver’s memory and jerk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Zhizhan; Li, Zhipeng; Cheng, Rongjun; Ge, Hongxia

2018-01-01

Based on the two velocity difference model (TVDM), an extended car-following model is developed to investigate the effect of driver’s memory and jerk on traffic flow in this paper. By using linear stability analysis, the stability conditions are derived. And through nonlinear analysis, the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation and the modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation are obtained, respectively. The mKdV equation is constructed to describe the traffic behavior near the critical point. The evolution of traffic congestion and the corresponding energy consumption are discussed. Numerical simulations show that the improved model is found not only to enhance the stability of traffic flow, but also to depress the energy consumption, which are consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Speed harmonization and peak-period shoulder use to manage urban freeway congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-01

Traffic congestion is an increasing problem in the nations urban areas, leading to personal inconvenience, : increased pollution, hampered economic productivity, and reduced quality of life. While traffic congestion tends : to continuously increas...

Factors influencing particle number concentrations, size distributions and modal parameters at a roof-level and roadside site in Leicester, UK.

PubMed

Agus, Emily L; Young, David T; Lingard, Justin J N; Smalley, Robert J; Tate, James E; Goodman, Paul S; Tomlin, Alison S

2007-11-01

Measurements of urban particle number concentrations and size distributions in the range 5-1000 nm were taken at elevated (roof-level) and roadside sampling sites on Narborough Road in Leicester, UK, along with simultaneous measurements of traffic, NO(x), CO and 1,3-butadiene concentrations and meteorological parameters. A fitting program was used to determine the characteristics of up to five modal groups present in the particle size distributions. All particle modal concentrations peaked during the morning and evening rush hours. Additional events associated with the smallest mode, that were not observed to be connected to primary emissions, were also present suggesting that this mode consisted of newly formed secondary particles. These events included peaks in concentration which coincided with peaks in solar radiation, and lower concentrations of the larger modes. Investigation into the relationships between traffic flow and occupancy indicated three flow regimes; free-flow, unstable and congested. During free-flow conditions, positive linear relationships existed between traffic flow and particle modal number concentrations. However, during unstable and congested periods, this relationship was shown to break-down. Similar trends were observed for concentrations of the gas phase pollutants NO(x), CO and 1,3-butadiene. Strong linear relationships existed between NO(x), CO, 1,3-butadiene concentrations, nucleation and Aitken mode concentrations at both sampling locations, indicating a local traffic related emission source. At the roadside, both nucleation and Aitken mode are best represented by a decreasing exponential function with wind speed, whereas at the roof-level this relationship only occurred for Aitken mode particles. The differing relationships at the two sampling locations are most likely due to a combination of meteorological factors and distance from the local emission source.

Network-optimized congestion pricing : a parable, model and algorithm

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-05-31

This paper recites a parable, formulates a model and devises an algorithm for optimizing tolls on a road network. Such tolls induce an equilibrium traffic flow that is at once system-optimal and user-optimal. The parable introduces the network-wide c...

Modeling and Route Guidance of Trucks in Metropolitan Areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-02-12

The efficient movement of goods in a metropolitan area, where congestion on highways and surface streets is part of daily life, has become more and more challenging. In this project, we analyze the effect of trucks on traffic flow, and consider metho...

How Travel Demand Affects Detection of Non-Recurrent Traffic Congestion on Urban Road Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anbaroglu, B.; Heydecker, B.; Cheng, T.

2016-06-01

Occurrence of non-recurrent traffic congestion hinders the economic activity of a city, as travellers could miss appointments or be late for work or important meetings. Similarly, for shippers, unexpected delays may disrupt just-in-time delivery and manufacturing processes, which could lose them payment. Consequently, research on non-recurrent congestion detection on urban road networks has recently gained attention. By analysing large amounts of traffic data collected on a daily basis, traffic operation centres can improve their methods to detect non-recurrent congestion rapidly and then revise their existing plans to mitigate its effects. Space-time clusters of high link journey time estimates correspond to non-recurrent congestion events. Existing research, however, has not considered the effect of travel demand on the effectiveness of non-recurrent congestion detection methods. Therefore, this paper investigates how travel demand affects detection of non-recurrent traffic congestion detection on urban road networks. Travel demand has been classified into three categories as low, normal and high. The experiments are carried out on London's urban road network, and the results demonstrate the necessity to adjust the relative importance of the component evaluation criteria depending on the travel demand level.

Modelling and optimization of rotary parking system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skrzyniowski, A.

2016-09-01

The increasing number of vehicles in cities is a cause of traffic congestion which interrupts the smooth traffic flow. The established EU policy underlines the importance of restoring spaces for pedestrian traffic and public communication. The overall vehicle parking process in some parts of a city takes so much time that it has a negative impact on the environment. This article presents different kinds of solution with special focus on the rotary parking system (PO). This article is based on a project realized at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Cracow University of Technology.

The economic cost of traffic congestion in Florida.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

Traffic congestion in the U.S. is bad and getting worse, and it is expensive. Appropriate solutions to this problem require appropriate information. A comprehensive and accurate analysis of congestion costs is a critical tool for planning and impleme...

Impact of congestion on bus operations and costs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-10-01

Traffic congestion in Northern New Jersey imposes substantial operational and monetary penalty on bus service. The purpose of this project was to quantify the additional time and costs due to traffic congestion. A regression model was developed that ...

Agent Reward Shaping for Alleviating Traffic Congestion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Kagan; Agogino, Adrian

2006-01-01

Traffic congestion problems provide a unique environment to study how multi-agent systems promote desired system level behavior. What is particularly interesting in this class of problems is that no individual action is intrinsically "bad" for the system but that combinations of actions among agents lead to undesirable outcomes, As a consequence, agents need to learn how to coordinate their actions with those of other agents, rather than learn a particular set of "good" actions. This problem is ubiquitous in various traffic problems, including selecting departure times for commuters, routes for airlines, and paths for data routers. In this paper we present a multi-agent approach to two traffic problems, where far each driver, an agent selects the most suitable action using reinforcement learning. The agent rewards are based on concepts from collectives and aim to provide the agents with rewards that are both easy to learn and that if learned, lead to good system level behavior. In the first problem, we study how agents learn the best departure times of drivers in a daily commuting environment and how following those departure times alleviates congestion. In the second problem, we study how agents learn to select desirable routes to improve traffic flow and minimize delays for. all drivers.. In both sets of experiments,. agents using collective-based rewards produced near optimal performance (93-96% of optimal) whereas agents using system rewards (63-68%) barely outperformed random action selection (62-64%) and agents using local rewards (48-72%) performed worse than random in some instances.

Traffic Congestion Detection System through Connected Vehicles and Big Data

PubMed Central

Cárdenas-Benítez, Néstor; Aquino-Santos, Raúl; Magaña-Espinoza, Pedro; Aguilar-Velazco, José; Edwards-Block, Arthur; Medina Cass, Aldo

2016-01-01

This article discusses the simulation and evaluation of a traffic congestion detection system which combines inter-vehicular communications, fixed roadside infrastructure and infrastructure-to-infrastructure connectivity and big data. The system discussed in this article permits drivers to identify traffic congestion and change their routes accordingly, thus reducing the total emissions of CO2 and decreasing travel time. This system monitors, processes and stores large amounts of data, which can detect traffic congestion in a precise way by means of a series of algorithms that reduces localized vehicular emission by rerouting vehicles. To simulate and evaluate the proposed system, a big data cluster was developed based on Cassandra, which was used in tandem with the OMNeT++ discreet event network simulator, coupled with the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) traffic simulator and the Veins vehicular network framework. The results validate the efficiency of the traffic detection system and its positive impact in detecting, reporting and rerouting traffic when traffic events occur. PMID:27136548

Traffic Congestion Detection System through Connected Vehicles and Big Data.

PubMed

Cárdenas-Benítez, Néstor; Aquino-Santos, Raúl; Magaña-Espinoza, Pedro; Aguilar-Velazco, José; Edwards-Block, Arthur; Medina Cass, Aldo

2016-04-28

This article discusses the simulation and evaluation of a traffic congestion detection system which combines inter-vehicular communications, fixed roadside infrastructure and infrastructure-to-infrastructure connectivity and big data. The system discussed in this article permits drivers to identify traffic congestion and change their routes accordingly, thus reducing the total emissions of CO₂ and decreasing travel time. This system monitors, processes and stores large amounts of data, which can detect traffic congestion in a precise way by means of a series of algorithms that reduces localized vehicular emission by rerouting vehicles. To simulate and evaluate the proposed system, a big data cluster was developed based on Cassandra, which was used in tandem with the OMNeT++ discreet event network simulator, coupled with the SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) traffic simulator and the Veins vehicular network framework. The results validate the efficiency of the traffic detection system and its positive impact in detecting, reporting and rerouting traffic when traffic events occur.

The Airspace Concepts Evaluation System Architecture and System Plant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Windhorst, Robert; Meyn, Larry; Manikonda, Vikram; Carlos, Patrick; Capozzi, Brian

2006-01-01

The Airspace Concepts Evaluation System is a simulation of the National Airspace System. It includes models of flights, airports, airspaces, air traffic controls, traffic flow managements, and airline operation centers operating throughout the United States. It is used to predict system delays in response to future capacity and demand scenarios and perform benefits assessments of current and future airspace technologies and operational concepts. Facilitation of these studies requires that the simulation architecture supports plug and play of different air traffic control, traffic flow management, and airline operation center models and multi-fidelity modeling of flights, airports, and airspaces. The simulation is divided into two parts that are named, borrowing from classical control theory terminology, control and plant. The control consists of air traffic control, traffic flow management, and airline operation center models, and the plant consists of flight, airport, and airspace models. The plant can run open loop, in the absence of the control. However, undesired affects, such as conflicts and over congestions in the airspaces and airports, can occur. Different controls are applied, "plug and played", to the plant. A particular control is evaluated by analyzing how well it managed conflicts and congestions. Furthermore, the terminal area plants consist of models of airports and terminal airspaces. Each model consists of a set of nodes and links which are connected by the user to form a network. Nodes model runways, fixes, taxi intersections, gates, and/or other points of interest, and links model taxiways, departure paths, and arrival paths. Metering, flow distribution, and sequencing functions can be applied at nodes. Different fidelity model of how a flight transits are can be used by links. The fidelity of the model can be adjusted by the user by either changing the complexity of the node/link network-or the way that the link models how the flights transit from one node to the other.

Heterogeneity Index for the Assessment of Relationship Between Land Use Pattern and Road Traffic Congestion in Apapa-Oworoshoki Express way, Lagos Metropolis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaigba, D. B.; Soumah, M.; Banjo, M. O.

2017-05-01

The problem of urban mobility is complicated by traffic delay, resulting from poor planning, high population density and poor condition of roads within urban spaces. This study assessed traffic congestion resulting from differential contribution made by various land-uses along Apapa-Oworoshoki expressway in Lagos metropolis. The data for this study was from both primary and secondary sources; GPS point data was collected at selected points for traffic volume count; observation of the nature of vehicular traffic congestion, and land use types along the corridor. Existing data on traffic count along the corridor, connectivity map and land use map sourced from relevant authorities were acquired. Traffic congestion within the area was estimated using volume capacity ratio (V/C). Heterogeneity Index was developed and used to quantify the percentage contribution to traffic volume from various land-use categories. Analytical Hierarchical Processing (AHP) and knowledge-based weighting were used to rank the importance of different heterogeneity indices. Results showed significant relationship between the degree of heterogeneity of the land use pattern and road traffic congestion. Volume Capacity Ratio computed revealed that the route corridor exceeds its designed capacity in the southward direction between the hours of 8am and 12pm on working days. Five major nodes were analyzed along the corridor, and were all above the expected Passenger Car Unit (PCU), these are "Oshodi" 15 %, "Airport junction" 10 %, "Cele bus stop" 21 %, "Mile 2" 14 %, "Berger" 15 % and "Tincan bus stop" 33 % indicating heavy traffic congestion.

A simulation-optimization-based decision support tool for mitigating traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

"Traffic congestion has grown considerably in the United States over the past twenty years. In this paper, we develop : a robust decision support tool based on simulation optimization to evaluate and recommend congestion-mitigation : strategies to tr...

Traffic control strategies for congested freeways and work zones.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-10-01

The primary objective of the research was to identify and evaluate effective ways of improving traffic operations and : safety on congested freeways. There was particular interest in finding condition-responsive traffic control solutions : for the fo...

Approach for counting vehicles in congested traffic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Xiaojun; Li, Jun; Liu, Wei

2005-02-01

More and more image sensors are used in intelligent transportation systems. In practice, occlusion is always a problem when counting vehicles in congested traffic. This paper tries to present an approach to solve the problem. The proposed approach consists of three main procedures. Firstly, a new algorithm of background subtraction is performed. The aim is to segment moving objects from an illumination-variant background. Secondly, object tracking is performed, where the CONDENSATION algorithm is used. This can avoid the problem of matching vehicles in successive frames. Thirdly, an inspecting procedure is executed to count the vehicles. When a bus firstly occludes a car and then the bus moves away a few frames later, the car will appear in the scene. The inspecting procedure should find the "new" car and add it as a tracking object.

Phase-plane analysis to an “anisotropic” higher-order traffic flow model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chun-Xiu

2018-04-01

The qualitative theory of differential equations is applied to investigate the traveling wave solution to an “anisotropic” higher-order viscous traffic flow model under the Lagrange coordinate system. The types and stabilities of the equilibrium points are discussed in the phase plane. Through the numerical simulation, the overall distribution structures of trajectories are drawn to analyze the relation between the phase diagram and the selected conservative solution variables, and the influences of the parameters on the system are studied. The limit-circle, limit circle-spiral point, saddle-spiral point and saddle-nodal point solutions are obtained. These steady-state solutions provide good explanation for the phenomena of the oscillatory and homogeneous congestions in real-world traffic.

Analyzing congestion and capacity impacts from disruptions to critical infrastructures in the rail network.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

As an energy-efficient transportation mode, railways play a vital role in U.S. freight : transportation. During any natural or man-made disasters, it is essential to keep the freight flow : by efficiently re-routing the disrupted traffic. This projec...

A Survey on Urban Traffic Management System Using Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Nellore, Kapileswar; Hancke, Gerhard P

2016-01-27

Nowadays, the number of vehicles has increased exponentially, but the bedrock capacities of roads and transportation systems have not developed in an equivalent way to efficiently cope with the number of vehicles traveling on them. Due to this, road jamming and traffic correlated pollution have increased with the associated adverse societal and financial effect on different markets worldwide. A static control system may block emergency vehicles due to traffic jams. Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) have gained increasing attention in traffic detection and avoiding road congestion. WSNs are very trendy due to their faster transfer of information, easy installation, less maintenance, compactness and for being less expensive compared to other network options. There has been significant research on Traffic Management Systems using WSNs to avoid congestion, ensure priority for emergency vehicles and cut the Average Waiting Time (AWT) of vehicles at intersections. In recent decades, researchers have started to monitor real-time traffic using WSNs, RFIDs, ZigBee, VANETs, Bluetooth devices, cameras and infrared signals. This paper presents a survey of current urban traffic management schemes for priority-based signalling, and reducing congestion and the AWT of vehicles. The main objective of this survey is to provide a taxonomy of different traffic management schemes used for avoiding congestion. Existing urban traffic management schemes for the avoidance of congestion and providing priority to emergency vehicles are considered and set the foundation for further research.

A Survey on Urban Traffic Management System Using Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Nellore, Kapileswar; Hancke, Gerhard P.

2016-01-01

Nowadays, the number of vehicles has increased exponentially, but the bedrock capacities of roads and transportation systems have not developed in an equivalent way to efficiently cope with the number of vehicles traveling on them. Due to this, road jamming and traffic correlated pollution have increased with the associated adverse societal and financial effect on different markets worldwide. A static control system may block emergency vehicles due to traffic jams. Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) have gained increasing attention in traffic detection and avoiding road congestion. WSNs are very trendy due to their faster transfer of information, easy installation, less maintenance, compactness and for being less expensive compared to other network options. There has been significant research on Traffic Management Systems using WSNs to avoid congestion, ensure priority for emergency vehicles and cut the Average Waiting Time (AWT) of vehicles at intersections. In recent decades, researchers have started to monitor real-time traffic using WSNs, RFIDs, ZigBee, VANETs, Bluetooth devices, cameras and infrared signals. This paper presents a survey of current urban traffic management schemes for priority-based signalling, and reducing congestion and the AWT of vehicles. The main objective of this survey is to provide a taxonomy of different traffic management schemes used for avoiding congestion. Existing urban traffic management schemes for the avoidance of congestion and providing priority to emergency vehicles are considered and set the foundation for further research. PMID:26828489

Microscale traffic simulation and emission estimation in a heavily trafficked roundabout in Madrid (Spain).

PubMed

Quaassdorff, Christina; Borge, Rafael; Pérez, Javier; Lumbreras, Julio; de la Paz, David; de Andrés, Juan Manuel

2016-10-01

This paper presents the evaluation of emissions from vehicle operations in a domain of 300m×300m covering a complex urban roundabout with high traffic density in Madrid. Micro-level simulation was successfully applied to estimate the emissions on a scale of meters. Two programs were used: i) VISSIM to simulate the traffic on the square and to compute velocity-time profiles; and ii) VERSIT+micro through ENVIVER that uses VISSIM outputs to compute the related emissions at vehicle level. Data collection was achieved by a measurement campaign obtaining empirical data of vehicle flows and traffic intensities. Twelve simulations of different traffic situations (scenarios) were conducted, representing different hours from several days in a week and the corresponding NOX and PM10 emissions were estimated. The results show a general reduction on average speeds for higher intensities due to braking-acceleration patterns that contribute to increase the average emission factor and, therefore, the total emissions in the domain, especially on weekdays. The emissions are clearly related to traffic volume, although maximum emission scenario does not correspond to the highest traffic intensity due to congestion and variations in fleet composition throughout the day. These results evidence the potential that local measures aimed at alleviating congestion may have in urban areas to reduce emissions. In general, scenario-averaged emission factors estimated with the VISSIM-VERSIT+micro modelling system fitted well those from the average-speed model COPERT, used as a preliminary validation of the results. The largest deviations between these two models occur in those scenarios with more congestion. The design and resolution of the microscale modelling system allow to reflect the impact of actual traffic conditions on driving patterns and related emissions, making it useful for the design of mitigation measures for specific traffic hot-spots. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of velocity difference changes with memory on the dynamics characteristics and fuel economy of traffic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Shaowei; Zhao, Xiangmo; Xu, Zhigang; Zhang, Licheng

2016-11-01

To evaluate the effects of velocity difference changes with memory in the intelligent transportation environment on the dynamics and fuel consumptions of traffic flow, we first investigate the linkage between velocity difference changes with memory and car-following behaviors with the measured data in cities, and then propose an improved cooperative car-following model considering multiple velocity difference changes with memory in the cooperative adaptive cruise control strategy, finally carry out several numerical simulations under the periodic boundary condition and at signalized intersections to explore how velocity difference changes with memory affect car's velocity, velocity fluctuation, acceleration and fuel consumptions in the intelligent transportation environment. The results show that velocity difference changes with memory have obvious effects on car-following behaviors, that the improved cooperative car-following model can describe the phase transition of traffic flow and estimate the evolution of traffic congestion, that the stability and fuel economy of traffic flow simulated by the improved car-following model with velocity difference changes with memory is obviously superior to those without velocity difference changes, and that taking velocity difference changes with memory into account in designing the advanced adaptive cruise control strategy can significantly improve the stability and fuel economy of traffic flow.

Quantifying incident-induced travel delays on freeways using traffic sensor data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-02-01

Traffic congestion is a major operational problem for freeways in Washington State. Recent studies have estimated that more than 50% of freeway congestion is caused by traffic incidents. To help the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDO...

Quantifying incident-induced travel delays on freeways using traffic sensor data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

Traffic congestion is a major operational problem for freeways in Washington State. Recent studies have estimated that more than 50 percent of freeway congestion is caused by traffic incidents. To help the Washington State Department of Transportatio...

Development of a traffic noise prediction model for an urban environment.

PubMed

Sharma, Asheesh; Bodhe, G L; Schimak, G

2014-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop a traffic noise model under diverse traffic conditions in metropolitan cities. The model has been developed to calculate equivalent traffic noise based on four input variables i.e. equivalent traffic flow (Q e ), equivalent vehicle speed (S e ) and distance (d) and honking (h). The traffic data is collected and statistically analyzed in three different cases for 15-min during morning and evening rush hours. Case I represents congested traffic where equivalent vehicle speed is <30 km/h while case II represents free-flowing traffic where equivalent vehicle speed is >30 km/h and case III represents calm traffic where no honking is recorded. The noise model showed better results than earlier developed noise model for Indian traffic conditions. A comparative assessment between present and earlier developed noise model has also been presented in the study. The model is validated with measured noise levels and the correlation coefficients between measured and predicted noise levels were found to be 0.75, 0.83 and 0.86 for case I, II and III respectively. The noise model performs reasonably well under different traffic conditions and could be implemented for traffic noise prediction at other region as well.

Intelligent traffic lights based on MATLAB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Ying

2018-04-01

In this paper, I describes the traffic lights system and it has some. Through analysis, I used MATLAB technology, transformed the camera photographs into digital signals. Than divided the road vehicle is into three methods: very congestion, congestion, a little congestion. Through the MCU programming, solved the different roads have different delay time, and Used this method, saving time and resources, so as to reduce road congestion.

Tomorrows' Air Transportation System Breakout Series Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss tomorrow's air transportation system. Section of this presentation includes: chair comments; other general comments; surface congestion alleviation; runway productivity; enhanced arrival/departure tools; integrated airspace decision support tools; national traffic flow management, runway independent operations; ATM TFM weather; and terminal weather.

U28 : longer combination vehicle's impact on improving operational efficiency, freight flows and traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

Longer Combination Vehicles (LCVs) are able to carry more freight than conventional single trailer trucks. As a result, these trucks can increase efficiencies and benefits for freight movements as less fuel and less labor is used per ton of cargo. Ho...

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is only the beginning: a literature review of the co-benefits of reducing vehicle miles traveled.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

Traditional evaluation of the transportation system focuses on automobile traffic flow and : congestion reduction. However, this paradigm is shifting. In an effort to combat global warming : and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a number of citi...

Interaction of Airspace Partitions and Traffic Flow Management Delay with Weather

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Hak-Tae; Chatterji, Gano B.; Palopo, Kee

2011-01-01

The interaction of partitioning the airspace and delaying flights in the presence of convective weather is explored to study how re-partitioning the airspace can help reduce congestion and delay. Three approaches with varying complexities are employed to compute the ground delays.In the first approach, an airspace partition of 335 high-altitude sectors that is based on clear weather day traffic is used. Routes are then created to avoid regions of convective weather. With traffic flow management, this approach establishes the baseline with per-flight delay of 8.4 minutes. In the second approach, traffic flow management is used to select routes and assign departure delays such that only the airport capacity constraints are met. This results in 6.7 minutes of average departure delay. The airspace is then partitioned with a specific capacity. It is shown that airspace-capacity-induced delay can be reduced to zero ata cost of 20percent more sectors for the examined scenario.

Rate-based congestion control in networks with smart links, revision. B.S. Thesis - May 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heybey, Andrew Tyrrell

1990-01-01

The author uses a network simulator to explore rate-based congestion control in networks with smart links that can feed back information to tell senders to adjust their transmission rates. This method differs in a very important way from congestion control in which a congested network component just drops packets - the most commonly used method. It is clearly advantageous for the links in the network to communicate with the end users about the network capacity, rather than the users unilaterally picking a transmission rate. The components in the middle of the network, not the end users, have information about the capacity and traffic in the network. The author experiments with three different algorithms for calculating the control rate to feed back to the users. All of the algorithms exhibit problems in the form of large queues when simulated with a configuration modeling the dynamics of a packet-voice system. However, the problems are not with the algorithms themselves, but with the fact that feedback takes time. If the network steady-state utilization is low enough that it can absorb transients in the traffic through it, then the large queues disappear. If the users are modified to start sending slowly, to allow the network to adapt to a new flow without causing congestion, a greater portion of the network's bandwidth can be used.

Using mobile probes to inform and measure the effectiveness of traffic control strategies on urban networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-01

Urban traffic congestion is a problem that plagues many cities in the United States. Testing strategies to alleviate this : congestion is especially challenging due to the difficulty of modeling complex urban traffic networks. However, recent work ha...

Delay Banking for Managing Air Traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Steve

2008-01-01

Delay banking has been invented to enhance air-traffic management in a way that would increase the degree of fairness in assigning arrival, departure, and en-route delays and trajectory deviations to aircraft impacted by congestion in the national airspace system. In delay banking, an aircraft operator (airline, military, general aviation, etc.) would be assigned a numerical credit when any of their flights are delayed because of an air-traffic flow restriction. The operator could subsequently bid against other operators competing for access to congested airspace to utilize part or all of its accumulated credit. Operators utilize credits to obtain higher priority for the same flight, or other flights operating at the same time, or later, in the same airspace, or elsewhere. Operators could also trade delay credits, according to market rules that would be determined by stakeholders in the national airspace system. Delay banking would be administered by an independent third party who would use delay banking automation to continually monitor flights, allocate delay credits, maintain accounts of delay credits for participating airlines, mediate bidding and the consumption of credits of winning bidders, analyze potential transfers of credits within and between operators, implement accepted transfers, and ensure fair treatment of all participating operators. A flow restriction can manifest itself in the form of a delay in assigned takeoff time, a reduction in assigned airspeed, a change in the position for the aircraft in a queue of all aircraft in a common stream of traffic (e.g., similar route), a change in the planned altitude profile for an aircraft, or change in the planned route for the aircraft. Flow restrictions are typically imposed to mitigate traffic congestion at an airport or in a region of airspace, particularly congestion due to inclement weather, or the unavailability of a runway or region of airspace. A delay credit would be allocated to an operator of a flight that has accepted, or upon which was imposed, a flow restriction. The amount of the credit would increase with the amount of delay caused by the flow restriction, the exact amount depending on which of several candidate formulas is eventually chosen. For example, according to one formula, there would be no credit for a delay smaller than some threshold value (e.g., 30 seconds) and the amount of the credit for a longer delay would be set at the amount of the delay minus the threshold value. Optionally, the value of a delay credit could be made to decay with time according to a suitable formula (e.g., an exponential decay). Also, optionally, a transaction charge could be assessed against the value of a delay credit that an operator used on a flight different from the one for which the delay originated or that was traded with a different operator. The delay credits accumulated by a given airline could be utilized in various ways. For example, an operator could enter a bid for priority handling in a new flow restriction that impacts one or more of the operator s flights; if the bid were unsuccessful, all or a portion of the credit would be returned to the bidder. If the bid pertained to a single aircraft that was in a queue, delay credits could be consumed in moving the aircraft to an earlier position within the queue. In the case of a flow restriction involving a choice of alternate routes, planned altitude profile, aircraft spacing, or other non-queue flow restrictions, delay credits could be used to bid for an alternative assignment.

Characteristics of traffic flow at nonsignalized T-shaped intersection with U-turn movements.

PubMed

Fan, Hong-Qiang; Jia, Bin; Li, Xin-Gang; Tian, Jun-Fang; Yan, Xue-Dong

2013-01-01

Most nonsignalized T-shaped intersections permit U-turn movements, which make the traffic conditions of intersection complex. In this paper, a new cellular automaton (CA) model is proposed to characterize the traffic flow at the intersection of this type. In present CA model, new rules are designed to avoid the conflicts among different directional vehicles and eliminate the gridlock. Two kinds of performance measures (i.e., flux and average control delay) for intersection are compared. The impacts of U-turn movements are analyzed under different initial conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that (i) the average control delay is more practical than flux in measuring the performance of intersection, (ii) U-turn movements increase the range and degree of high congestion, and (iii) U-turn movements on the different direction of main road have asymmetrical influences on the traffic conditions of intersection.

Development of a Traffic Management Decision Support Tool for Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) Plan Deployment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

Traffic incidents have long been recognized as the main contributor to congestion in highway networks. Thus, contending with non-recurrent congestion has been a priority task for most highway agencies over the past decades. Under most incident scenar...

Using mobile probes to inform and measure the effectiveness of macroscopic traffic control strategies on urban networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

Urban traffic congestion is a problem that plagues many cities in the United States. Testing strategies to alleviate this : congestion is especially challenging due to the difficulty of modeling complex urban traffic networks. However, recent work ha...

Expanding the Use of Time-Based Metering: Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landry, Steven J.; Farley, Todd; Hoang, Ty

2005-01-01

Time-based metering is an efficient air traffic management alternative to the more common practice of distance-based metering (or "miles-in-trail spacing"). Despite having demonstrated significant operational benefit to airspace users and service providers, time-based metering is used in the United States for arrivals to just nine airports and is not used at all for non-arrival traffic flows. The Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor promises to bring time-based metering into the mainstream of air traffic management techniques. Not constrained to operate solely on arrival traffic, Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor is flexible enough to work in highly congested or heavily partitioned airspace for any and all traffic flows in a region. This broader and more general application of time-based metering is expected to bring the operational benefits of time-based metering to a much wider pool of beneficiaries than is possible with existing technology. It also promises to facilitate more collaborative traffic management on a regional basis. This paper focuses on the operational concept of the Multi-Center Traffic Management Advisor, touching also on its system architecture, field test results, and prospects for near-term deployment to the United States National Airspace System.

Modeling and Control of Airport Queueing Dynamics under Severe Flow Restrictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, Francis; Evans, Antony; Clarke, John-Paul; Deron, Eric

2003-01-01

Based on field observations and interviews with controllers at BOS and EWR, we identify the closure of local departure fixes as the most severe class of airport departure restrictions. A set of simple queueing dynamics and traffic rules are developed to model departure traffic under such restrictions. The validity of the proposed model is tested via Monte Carlo simulation against 10 hours of actual operations data collected during a case-study at EWR on June 29,2000. In general, the model successfully reproduces the aggregate departure congestion. An analysis of the average error over 40 simulation runs indicates that flow-rate restrictions also significantly impact departure traffic; work is underway to capture these effects. Several applications and what-if scenarios are discussed for future evaluation using the calibrated model.

Variable speed limit strategies analysis with link transmission model on urban expressway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shubin; Cao, Danni

2018-02-01

The variable speed limit (VSL) is a kind of active traffic management method. Most of the strategies are used in the expressway traffic flow control in order to ensure traffic safety. However, the urban expressway system is the main artery, carrying most traffic pressure. It has similar traffic characteristics with the expressways between cities. In this paper, the improved link transmission model (LTM) combined with VSL strategies is proposed, based on the urban expressway network. The model can simulate the movement of the vehicles and the shock wave, and well balance the relationship between the amount of calculation and accuracy. Furthermore, the optimal VSL strategy can be proposed based on the simulation method. It can provide management strategies for managers. Finally, a simple example is given to illustrate the model and method. The selected indexes are the average density, the average speed and the average flow on the traffic network in the simulation. The simulation results show that the proposed model and method are feasible. The VSL strategy can effectively alleviate traffic congestion in some cases, and greatly promote the efficiency of the transportation system.

Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity.

PubMed

Jing, Wentao; Ramezani, Mohsen; An, Kun; Kim, Inhi

2018-01-01

The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm.

Congestion patterns of electric vehicles with limited battery capacity

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The path choice behavior of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers is influenced by the lack of public charging stations, limited battery capacity, range anxiety and long battery charging time. This paper investigates the congestion/flow pattern captured by stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) traffic assignment problem in transportation networks with BEVs, where the BEV paths are restricted by their battery capacities. The BEV energy consumption is assumed to be a linear function of path length and path travel time, which addresses both path distance limit problem and road congestion effect. A mathematical programming model is proposed for the path-based SUE traffic assignment where the path cost is the sum of the corresponding link costs and a path specific out-of-energy penalty. We then apply the convergent Lagrangian dual method to transform the original problem into a concave maximization problem and develop a customized gradient projection algorithm to solve it. A column generation procedure is incorporated to generate the path set. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model and the solution algorithm. PMID:29543875

A Bayesian ridge regression analysis of congestion's impact on urban expressway safety.

PubMed

Shi, Qi; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Lee, Jaeyoung

2016-03-01

With the rapid growth of traffic in urban areas, concerns about congestion and traffic safety have been heightened. This study leveraged both Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system and Microwave Vehicle Detection System (MVDS) installed on an expressway in Central Florida to explore how congestion impacts the crash occurrence in urban areas. Multiple congestion measures from the two systems were developed. To ensure more precise estimates of the congestion's effects, the traffic data were aggregated into peak and non-peak hours. Multicollinearity among traffic parameters was examined. The results showed the presence of multicollinearity especially during peak hours. As a response, ridge regression was introduced to cope with this issue. Poisson models with uncorrelated random effects, correlated random effects, and both correlated random effects and random parameters were constructed within the Bayesian framework. It was proven that correlated random effects could significantly enhance model performance. The random parameters model has similar goodness-of-fit compared with the model with only correlated random effects. However, by accounting for the unobserved heterogeneity, more variables were found to be significantly related to crash frequency. The models indicated that congestion increased crash frequency during peak hours while during non-peak hours it was not a major crash contributing factor. Using the random parameter model, the three congestion measures were compared. It was found that all congestion indicators had similar effects while Congestion Index (CI) derived from MVDS data was a better congestion indicator for safety analysis. Also, analyses showed that the segments with higher congestion intensity could not only increase property damage only (PDO) crashes, but also more severe crashes. In addition, the issues regarding the necessity to incorporate specific congestion indicator for congestion's effects on safety and to take care of the multicollinearity between explanatory variables were also discussed. By including a specific congestion indicator, the model performance significantly improved. When comparing models with and without ridge regression, the magnitude of the coefficients was altered in the existence of multicollinearity. These conclusions suggest that the use of appropriate congestion measure and consideration of multicolilnearity among the variables would improve the models and our understanding about the effects of congestion on traffic safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methodology for evaluating effectiveness of traffic-responsive systems on intersection congestion and traffic safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

In 1986, the city of Milwaukee applied for and received approval for a hazard elimination grant to reduce congestion and traffic accidents at the intersection of two major and one minor arterial on the northwest side of the city. The intersection com...

78 FR 53107 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Passaic River, Kearny and Newark, NJ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-28

... reducing vehicular traffic congestion during the morning and afternoon vehicular rush hour periods due to... alleviate traffic congestion resulting from area roadway closures. It is expected that this change to the regulations would provide relief to vehicular traffic while continuing to meet the reasonable needs of...

Air pollution and health risks due to vehicle traffic.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Batterman, Stuart

2013-04-15

Traffic congestion increases vehicle emissions and degrades ambient air quality, and recent studies have shown excess morbidity and mortality for drivers, commuters and individuals living near major roadways. Presently, our understanding of the air pollution impacts from congestion on roads is very limited. This study demonstrates an approach to characterize risks of traffic for on- and near-road populations. Simulation modeling was used to estimate on- and near-road NO2 concentrations and health risks for freeway and arterial scenarios attributable to traffic for different traffic volumes during rush hour periods. The modeling used emission factors from two different models (Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model and Motor Vehicle Emissions Factor Model version 6.2), an empirical traffic speed-volume relationship, the California Line Source Dispersion Model, an empirical NO2-NOx relationship, estimated travel time changes during congestion, and concentration-response relationships from the literature, which give emergency doctor visits, hospital admissions and mortality attributed to NO2 exposure. An incremental analysis, which expresses the change in health risks for small increases in traffic volume, showed non-linear effects. For a freeway, "U" shaped trends of incremental risks were predicted for on-road populations, and incremental risks are flat at low traffic volumes for near-road populations. For an arterial road, incremental risks increased sharply for both on- and near-road populations as traffic increased. These patterns result from changes in emission factors, the NO2-NOx relationship, the travel delay for the on-road population, and the extended duration of rush hour for the near-road population. This study suggests that health risks from congestion are potentially significant, and that additional traffic can significantly increase risks, depending on the type of road and other factors. Further, evaluations of risk associated with congestion must consider travel time, the duration of rush-hour, congestion-specific emission estimates, and uncertainties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Air pollution and health risks due to vehicle traffic

PubMed Central

Zhang, Kai; Batterman, Stuart

2014-01-01

Traffic congestion increases vehicle emissions and degrades ambient air quality, and recent studies have shown excess morbidity and mortality for drivers, commuters and individuals living near major roadways. Presently, our understanding of the air pollution impacts from congestion on roads is very limited. This study demonstrates an approach to characterize risks of traffic for on- and near-road populations. Simulation modeling was used to estimate on- and near-road NO2 concentrations and health risks for freeway and arterial scenarios attributable to traffic for different traffic volumes during rush hour periods. The modeling used emission factors from two different models (Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model and Motor Vehicle Emissions Factor Model version 6.2), an empirical traffic speed–volume relationship, the California Line Source Dispersion Model, an empirical NO2–NOx relationship, estimated travel time changes during congestion, and concentration–response relationships from the literature, which give emergency doctor visits, hospital admissions and mortality attributed to NO2 exposure. An incremental analysis, which expresses the change in health risks for small increases in traffic volume, showed non-linear effects. For a freeway, “U” shaped trends of incremental risks were predicted for on-road populations, and incremental risks are flat at low traffic volumes for near-road populations. For an arterial road, incremental risks increased sharply for both on- and near-road populations as traffic increased. These patterns result from changes in emission factors, the NO2–NOx relationship, the travel delay for the on-road population, and the extended duration of rush hour for the near-road population. This study suggests that health risks from congestion are potentially significant, and that additional traffic can significantly increase risks, depending on the type of road and other factors. Further, evaluations of risk associated with congestion must consider travel time, the duration of rush-hour, congestion-specific emission estimates, and uncertainties. PMID:23500830

Traffic flow behavior at a single-lane urban roundabout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakouari, N.; Oubram, O.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.; Cisneros-Villalobos, L.; Velásquez-Aguilar, J. G.

In this paper, we propose a stochastic cellular automata model to study the traffic behavior at a single-lane roundabout. Vehicles can enter the interior lane or exit from it via N intersecting lane, the boundary conditions are stochastic. The traffic is controlled by a self-organized scheme. It has turned out that depending on the rules of insertion to the roundabout, five distinct traffic phases can appear, namely, free flow, congestion, maximum current, jammed and gridlock. The transition between the free flow and the gridlock is forbidden. The density profiles are used to study the traffic pattern at the interior lane of the roundabout. In order to quantify the interactions between vehicles in the interior lane of the roundabout, the velocity correlation coefficient (VCC) is also studied. Besides, the spatiotemporal diagrams corresponding to the entry/exit lanes are derived numerically. Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of displaying signal (PIn), as the PIn decreases, the maximum current increases at the expense of the free flow and the jamming phase. Finally, we have investigated the effect of the braking probability P on the interior lane of the roundabout. We have found that the increase of P raises the spontaneous jam formation on the ring. Thus, enlarges the maximum current and the jamming phase while the free flow phase decreases.

Comparing Perceptions and Measures of Congestion

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-01

Peoples perception of congestion and the actual measured congestion do not always agree. Measured : congestion relates to the delay resulting from field measurements of traffic volume, speed, and travel : time. Peoples perception of congestion ...

The impact of neighboring infection on the computer virus spread in packets on scale-free networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazfi, S.; Lamzabi, S.; Rachadi, A.; Ez-Zahraouy, H.

2017-12-01

In this paper, we introduce the effect of neighbors on the infection of packets by computer virus in the SI and SIR models using the minimal traffic routing protocol. We have applied this model to the Barabasi-Albert network to determine how intrasite and extrasite infection rates affect virus propagation through the traffic flow of information packets in both the free-flow and the congested phases. The numerical results show that when we change the intrasite infection rate λ1 while keeping constant the extrasite infection rate λ2, we get normal behavior in the congested phase: in the network, the proportion of infected packets increases to reach a peak and then decreases resulting in a simultaneous increase of the recovered packets. In contrast, when the intrasite infection rate λ1 is kept fixed, an increase of the extrasite infection rate results in two regimes: The first one is characterized by an increase of the proportion of infected packets until reaching some peak value and then decreases smoothly. The second regime is characterized by an increase of infected packets to some stationary value.

Land use and traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-01

"The study investigated the link between land use, travel behavior, and traffic congestion. Popular wisdom : suggests that higher-density development patterns may be beneficial in reducing private vehicle dependency : and use, which if true, could ho...

Guidelines for operating congested traffic signals.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

The objective of this project was to develop guidelines for mitigating congestion in traffic signal systems. As : part of the project, researchers conducted a thorough review of literature and developed preliminary : guidelines for combating congesti...

I-55 integrated diversion traffic management benefit study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-11-01

Traffic congestion, recurrent and non-recurrent, creates significant economic losses and environmental impacts. : Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) is a U.S.DOT research initiative that has been proven to effectively relieve : recurrent congestion...

Measuring and improving performance in incident management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

Traffic incidents account for about 25 percent of traffic congestion and delay. Clearing incidents rapidly is crucial in : minimizing congestion, reducing secondary crashes and improving safety for both emergency responders and : travelers. Especiall...

A study on the traffic impact of the road corridors due to flyover construction at Surabaya intersection, Banda Aceh of Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, Sofyan M.; Sugiarto, Sugiarto; Hilal, Almira; Ariansyah, Dedek

2017-11-01

The urbanest areas are suffering from unmaintained externalities such as excessive travel time, unnecessary fuel consumption and even serious economic loss due extraordinary growth in automobile traffic (i.e. motorcycle and car), and as consequence of automobile ownership and usage have continued rapid growth into recent days including in Banda Aceh, a capital of Aceh Province. An increasing of automobile usage leads to induce traffic congestion in the city centers including in Surabaya intersection. To counter the negative effects of the congestion, the Government of Aceh (GoA) decided to build a flyover at the congested intersection mentioned above. However, during the construction period, traffic congestion is severe along this corridor, and traffic is randomly distributed to the road network in surrounding construction site without any traffic arrangement by the authority. It is, therefore, this research aims to analyze the traffic impact due to flyover's construction. The study was conducted at three corridors which are considered as the most congested corridors due to exiting of bottleneck traffic. Those corridors are Teuku Muhammad Hasan Rd., Prof Ali Hasyimi Rd., Tgk. Imum Lueng Bata Rd. The findings from the analysis revealed that the traffic loading has increased accounting up to 34% and 37% for Teuku Muhammad Hasan Rd. and Prof. Ali Hasyimi Rd., respectively. Furthermore, the results of the level of service (LOS) analyses show that dropped in LOS from B to C during the construction period for Teuku Muhammad Hasan Rd. and Prof. Ali Hasyimi Rd.

Current state of traffic pollution in Bangladesh and metropolitan Dhaka

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karim, Masud; Matsui, Hiroshi; Ohno, Takashi

1997-12-31

Limited resources, invested for the development of transport facilities, such as infrastructure and vehicles, coupled with the rapid rise in transport demand, existence of a huge number of non-motorized vehicles on roads, lack of application of adequate and proper traffic management schemes are producing severe transport problems in almost all the urban areas of Bangladesh. Worsening situation of traffic congestion in the streets and sufferings of the inhabitants from vehicle emissions demand extensive research in this field. However, no detailed study concerning traffic congestion and pollution problems for urban areas of Bangladesh has yet been done. Therefore, it has becomemore » increasingly important to examine the present state of the problem. This research is a preliminary evaluation of the current situation of traffic pollution problem in Bangladesh. The daily total emissions of NO{sub x}, HC, CO, PM, and SO{sub x} are estimated using the daily fuel consumption and total traffic flows in Dhaka city. Estimated daily emissions are 42, 39, 314, 14, and 42 t/d for NO{sub x}, HC, CO, PM, and SO{sub x}, respectively. The emissions estimated using two different methods revealed good correlation. Daily average concentration of NO{sub x} (NO{sub 2}, NO) were measured at 30 street locations in Dhaka city during September and November, 1996. The results showed extremely high concentrations of NO{sub 2} and NO in these locations.« less

Estimation of the full marginal costs of port related truck traffic.

PubMed

Berechman, Joseph

2009-11-01

NY region is expected to grow by additional 1 million people by 2020, which translates into roughly 70 million more tons of goods to be delivered annually. Due to lack of rail capacity, mainly trucks will haul this volume of freight, challenging an already much constrained highway network. What are the total costs associated with this additional traffic, in particular, congestion, safety and emission? Since a major source of this expected flow is the Port of New York-New Jersey, this paper focuses on the estimation of the full marginal costs of truck traffic resulting from the further expansion of the port's activities.

Innovative contracting methods and construction traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

Increasing travel demand and lack of sufficient highway capacity are serious problems in most : major metropolitan areas in the United States. Large metropolitan cities have been experiencing : increased traffic congestion problems over the past seve...

A Michigan toolbox for mitigating traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-30

"Researchers created A Michigan Toolbox for Mitigating Traffic Congestion to be a useful desk reference : for practitioners and an educational tool for elected officials acting through public policy boards to better : understand the development, plan...

A novel fair active queue management algorithm based on traffic delay jitter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue-Shun; Yu, Shao-Hua; Dai, Jin-You; Luo, Ting

2009-11-01

In order to guarantee the quantity of data traffic delivered in the network, congestion control strategy is adopted. According to the study of many active queue management (AQM) algorithms, this paper proposes a novel active queue management algorithm named JFED. JFED can stabilize queue length at a desirable level by adjusting output traffic rate and adopting a reasonable calculation of packet drop probability based on buffer queue length and traffic jitter; and it support burst packet traffic through the packet delay jitter, so that it can traffic flow medium data. JFED impose effective punishment upon non-responsible flow with a full stateless method. To verify the performance of JFED, it is implemented in NS2 and is compared with RED and CHOKe with respect to different performance metrics. Simulation results show that the proposed JFED algorithm outperforms RED and CHOKe in stabilizing instantaneous queue length and in fairness. It is also shown that JFED enables the link capacity to be fully utilized by stabilizing the queue length at a desirable level, while not incurring excessive packet loss ratio.

Predictability of Road Traffic and Congestion in Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Wang, Jingyuan; Mao, Yu; Li, Jing; Xiong, Zhang; Wang, Wen-Xu

2015-01-01

Mitigating traffic congestion on urban roads, with paramount importance in urban development and reduction of energy consumption and air pollution, depends on our ability to foresee road usage and traffic conditions pertaining to the collective behavior of drivers, raising a significant question: to what degree is road traffic predictable in urban areas? Here we rely on the precise records of daily vehicle mobility based on GPS positioning device installed in taxis to uncover the potential daily predictability of urban traffic patterns. Using the mapping from the degree of congestion on roads into a time series of symbols and measuring its entropy, we find a relatively high daily predictability of traffic conditions despite the absence of any priori knowledge of drivers' origins and destinations and quite different travel patterns between weekdays and weekends. Moreover, we find a counterintuitive dependence of the predictability on travel speed: the road segment associated with intermediate average travel speed is most difficult to be predicted. We also explore the possibility of recovering the traffic condition of an inaccessible segment from its adjacent segments with respect to limited observability. The highly predictable traffic patterns in spite of the heterogeneity of drivers' behaviors and the variability of their origins and destinations enables development of accurate predictive models for eventually devising practical strategies to mitigate urban road congestion. PMID:25849534

Time allocation shifts and pollutant exposure due to traffic congestion: an analysis using the national human activity pattern survey.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Batterman, Stuart A

2009-10-15

Traffic congestion increases air pollutant exposures of commuters and urban populations due to the increased time spent in traffic and the increased vehicular emissions that occur in congestion, especially "stop-and-go" traffic. Increased time in traffic also decreases time in other microenvironments, a trade-off that has not been considered in previous time activity pattern (TAP) analyses conducted for exposure assessment purposes. This research investigates changes in time allocations and exposures that result from traffic congestion. Time shifts were derived using data from the National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS), which was aggregated to nine microenvironments (six indoor locations, two outdoor locations and one transport location). After imputing missing values, handling outliers, and conducting other quality checks, these data were stratified by respondent age, employment status and period (weekday/weekend). Trade-offs or time-shift coefficients between time spent in vehicles and the eight other microenvironments were then estimated using robust regression. For children and retirees, congestion primarily reduced the time spent at home; for older children and working adults, congestion shifted the time spent at home as well as time in schools, public buildings, and other indoor environments. Changes in benzene and PM(2.5) exposure were estimated for the current average travel delay in the U.S. (9 min day(-1)) and other scenarios using the estimated time shifts coefficients, concentrations in key microenvironments derived from the literature, and a probabilistic analysis. Changes in exposures depended on the duration of the congestion and the pollutant. For example, a 30 min day(-1) travel delay was determined to account for 21+/-12% of current exposure to benzene and 14+/-8% of PM(2.5) exposure. The time allocation shifts and the dynamic approach to TAPs improve estimates of exposure impacts from congestion and other recurring events.

Carbon emissions tax policy of urban road traffic and its application in Panjin, China

PubMed Central

Yang, Longhai; Fang, Lin

2018-01-01

How to effectively solve traffic congestion and transportation pollution in urban development is a main research emphasis for transportation management agencies. A carbon emissions tax can affect travelers’ generalized costs and will lead to changes in passenger demand, mode choice and traffic flow equilibrium in road networks, which are of significance in green travel and low-carbon transportation management. This paper first established a mesoscopic model to calculate the carbon emissions tax and determined the value of this charge in China, which was based on road traffic flow, vehicle speed, and carbon emissions. Referring to existing research results to calibrate the value of time, this paper modified the traveler’s generalized cost function, including the carbon emissions tax, fuel surcharge and travel time cost, which can be used in the travel impedance model with the consideration of the carbon emissions tax. Then, a method for analyzing urban road network traffic flow distribution was put forward, and a joint traffic distribution model was established, which considered the relationship between private cars and taxis. Finally, this paper took the city of Panjin as an example to analyze the road traffic carbon emissions tax’s impact. The results illustrated that the carbon emissions tax has a positive effect on road network flow equilibrium and carbon emission reduction. This paper will have good reference value and practical significance for the calculation and implementation of urban traffic carbon emissions taxes in China. PMID:29738580

Carbon emissions tax policy of urban road traffic and its application in Panjin, China.

PubMed

Yang, Longhai; Hu, Xiaowei; Fang, Lin

2018-01-01

How to effectively solve traffic congestion and transportation pollution in urban development is a main research emphasis for transportation management agencies. A carbon emissions tax can affect travelers' generalized costs and will lead to changes in passenger demand, mode choice and traffic flow equilibrium in road networks, which are of significance in green travel and low-carbon transportation management. This paper first established a mesoscopic model to calculate the carbon emissions tax and determined the value of this charge in China, which was based on road traffic flow, vehicle speed, and carbon emissions. Referring to existing research results to calibrate the value of time, this paper modified the traveler's generalized cost function, including the carbon emissions tax, fuel surcharge and travel time cost, which can be used in the travel impedance model with the consideration of the carbon emissions tax. Then, a method for analyzing urban road network traffic flow distribution was put forward, and a joint traffic distribution model was established, which considered the relationship between private cars and taxis. Finally, this paper took the city of Panjin as an example to analyze the road traffic carbon emissions tax's impact. The results illustrated that the carbon emissions tax has a positive effect on road network flow equilibrium and carbon emission reduction. This paper will have good reference value and practical significance for the calculation and implementation of urban traffic carbon emissions taxes in China.

Minnesota : innovative choices for congestion relief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing traffic congestion in the I-35W corridor and in downtown Minneapolis. ITS technologies underlie many of the Minnesota UPA projects, including those centered on tolling, real-time traffic and transit informatio...

Development of simulation techniques suitable for the analysis of air traffic control situations and instrumentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A terminal area simulation is described which permits analysis and synthesis of current and advanced air traffic management system configurations including ground and airborne instrumentation and new and modified aircraft characteristics. Ground elements in the simulation include navigation aids, surveillance radars, communication links, air-route structuring, ATC procedures, airport geometries and runway handling constraints. Airborne elements include traffic samples with individual aircraft performance and operating characteristics and aircraft navigation equipment. The simulation also contains algorithms for conflict detection, conflict resolution, sequencing and pilot-controller data links. The simulation model is used to determine the sensitivities of terminal area traffic flow, safety and congestion to aircraft performance characteristics, avionics systems, and other ATC elements.

Dynamic analysis of pedestrian crossing behaviors on traffic flow at unsignalized mid-block crosswalks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Gang; He, Jing; Luo, Zhiyong; Yang, Wunian; Zhang, Xiping

2015-05-01

It is important to study the effects of pedestrian crossing behaviors on traffic flow for solving the urban traffic jam problem. Based on the Nagel-Schreckenberg (NaSch) traffic cellular automata (TCA) model, a new one-dimensional TCA model is proposed considering the uncertainty conflict behaviors between pedestrians and vehicles at unsignalized mid-block crosswalks and defining the parallel updating rules of motion states of pedestrians and vehicles. The traffic flow is simulated for different vehicle densities and behavior trigger probabilities. The fundamental diagrams show that no matter what the values of vehicle braking probability, pedestrian acceleration crossing probability, pedestrian backing probability and pedestrian generation probability, the system flow shows the "increasing-saturating-decreasing" trend with the increase of vehicle density; when the vehicle braking probability is lower, it is easy to cause an emergency brake of vehicle and result in great fluctuation of saturated flow; the saturated flow decreases slightly with the increase of the pedestrian acceleration crossing probability; when the pedestrian backing probability lies between 0.4 and 0.6, the saturated flow is unstable, which shows the hesitant behavior of pedestrians when making the decision of backing; the maximum flow is sensitive to the pedestrian generation probability and rapidly decreases with increasing the pedestrian generation probability, the maximum flow is approximately equal to zero when the probability is more than 0.5. The simulations prove that the influence of frequent crossing behavior upon vehicle flow is immense; the vehicle flow decreases and gets into serious congestion state rapidly with the increase of the pedestrian generation probability.

Full velocity difference model for a car-following theory.

PubMed

Jiang, R; Wu, Q; Zhu, Z

2001-07-01

In this paper, we present a full velocity difference model for a car-following theory based on the previous models in the literature. To our knowledge, the model is an improvement over the previous ones theoretically, because it considers more aspects in car-following process than others. This point is verified by numerical simulation. Then we investigate the property of the model using both analytic and numerical methods, and find that the model can describe the phase transition of traffic flow and estimate the evolution of traffic congestion.

Evaluation of the public health impacts of traffic congestion: a health risk assessment.

PubMed

Levy, Jonathan I; Buonocore, Jonathan J; von Stackelberg, Katherine

2010-10-27

Traffic congestion is a significant issue in urban areas in the United States and around the world. Previous analyses have estimated the economic costs of congestion, related to fuel and time wasted, but few have quantified the public health impacts or determined how these impacts compare in magnitude to the economic costs. Moreover, the relative magnitudes of economic and public health impacts of congestion would be expected to vary significantly across urban areas, as a function of road infrastructure, population density, and atmospheric conditions influencing pollutant formation, but this variability has not been explored. In this study, we evaluate the public health impacts of ambient exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations associated with a business-as-usual scenario of predicted traffic congestion. We evaluate 83 individual urban areas using traffic demand models to estimate the degree of congestion in each area from 2000 to 2030. We link traffic volume and speed data with the MOBILE6 model to characterize emissions of PM2.5 and particle precursors attributable to congestion, and we use a source-receptor matrix to evaluate the impact of these emissions on ambient PM2.5 concentrations. Marginal concentration changes are related to a concentration-response function for mortality, with a value of statistical life approach used to monetize the impacts. We estimate that the monetized value of PM2.5-related mortality attributable to congestion in these 83 cities in 2000 was approximately $31 billion (2007 dollars), as compared with a value of time and fuel wasted of $60 billion. In future years, the economic impacts grow (to over $100 billion in 2030) while the public health impacts decrease to $13 billion in 2020 before increasing to $17 billion in 2030, given increasing population and congestion but lower emissions per vehicle. Across cities and years, the public health impacts range from more than an order of magnitude less to in excess of the economic impacts. Our analyses indicate that the public health impacts of congestion may be significant enough in magnitude, at least in some urban areas, to be considered in future evaluations of the benefits of policies to mitigate congestion.

Analysis of local bus markets : volume II – rider characteristics : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-04

Despite having an extensive network of public transit, traffic congestion and transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significant concerns in New Jersey. This research hypothesizes that traffic congestion and air quality concerns in...

Analysis of local bus markets : volume I – methodology and findings : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-04

Despite having an extensive network of public transit, traffic congestion and transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significant concerns in New Jersey. This research hypothesizes that traffic congestion and air quality concerns in...

Analysis of local bus markets : volume III – travel characteristics : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-04

Despite having an extensive network of public transit, traffic congestion and transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significant concerns in New Jersey. This research hypothesizes that traffic congestion and air quality concerns in...

A model to forecast peak spreading.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

As traffic congestion increases, the K-factor, defined as the proportion of the 24-hour traffic volume that occurs during the peak hour, may decrease. This behavioral response is known as peak spreading: as congestion grows during the peak travel tim...

Criticism of generally accepted fundamentals and methodologies of traffic and transportation theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerner, Boris S.

It is explained why the set of the fundamental empirical features of traffic breakdown (a transition from free flow to congested traffic) should be the empirical basis for any traffic and transportation theory that can be reliable used for control and optimization in traffic networks. It is shown that generally accepted fundamentals and methodologies of traffic and transportation theory are not consistent with the set of the fundamental empirical features of traffic breakdown at a highway bottleneck. To these fundamentals and methodologies of traffic and transportation theory belong (i) Lighthill-Whitham-Richards (LWR) theory, (ii) the General Motors (GM) model class (formore » example, Herman, Gazis et al. GM model, Gipps’s model, Payne’s model, Newell’s optimal velocity (OV) model, Wiedemann’s model, Bando et al. OV model, Treiber’s IDM, Krauß’s model), (iii) the understanding of highway capacity as a particular stochastic value, and (iv) principles for traffic and transportation network optimization and control (for example, Wardrop’s user equilibrium (UE) and system optimum (SO) principles). Alternatively to these generally accepted fundamentals and methodologies of traffic and transportation theory, we discuss three-phase traffic theory as the basis for traffic flow modeling as well as briefly consider the network breakdown minimization (BM) principle for the optimization of traffic and transportation networks with road bottlenecks.« less

Real time driver information for congestion management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-01

Traffic demand in the U.S. has grown substantially over the past few years because of the increase in population and : urbanization in large cities. This causes traffic congestion to spread out over U.S. highways and arterials, and subsequently : lea...

Evaluating Environmental Impact of Traffic Congestion in Real Time Based on Sparse Mobile Crowd-sourced Data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-02

Traffic congestion at arterial intersections and freeway bottlenecks degrades the air quality and threatens the public health. Conventionally, air pollutants are monitored by sparsely-distributed Quality Assurance Air Monitoring Sites. Sparse mobile ...

Congested traffic states in empirical observations and microscopic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treiber, Martin; Hennecke, Ansgar; Helbing, Dirk

2000-08-01

We present data from several German freeways showing different kinds of congested traffic forming near road inhomogeneities, specifically lane closings, intersections, or uphill gradients. The states are localized or extended, homogeneous or oscillating. Combined states are observed as well, like the coexistence of moving localized clusters and clusters pinned at road inhomogeneities, or regions of oscillating congested traffic upstream of nearly homogeneous congested traffic. The experimental findings are consistent with a recently proposed theoretical phase diagram for traffic near on-ramps [D. Helbing, A. Hennecke, and M. Treiber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4360 (1999)]. We simulate these situations with a continuous microscopic single-lane model, the ``intelligent driver model,'' using empirical boundary conditions. All observations, including the coexistence of states, are qualitatively reproduced by describing inhomogeneities with local variations of one model parameter. We show that the results of the microscopic model can be understood by formulating the theoretical phase diagram for bottlenecks in a more general way. In particular, a local drop of the road capacity induced by parameter variations has essentially the same effect as an on-ramp.

A successful traffic relief program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dimino, R.A.; Bezkorovainy, G.; Campbell, B.

This article reports that in August 1986, under the direction of Mayor Raymond Flynn, the City of Boston initiated Phase I of a Traffic Relief Program (TRP). The program was an interagency effort of the Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Police Department, to provide increased enforcement of the city's traffic and parking regulations on congested roadways in downtown Boston. The TRP is a reaffirmation of the city's philosophy that major arterials' primary function is the movement of traffic during periods of heavy traffic flow. There were six objectives: to reduce vehicular travel time along travel corridors; to increase street/intersectionmore » capacity; to eliminate vehicular blockage at intersections; to eliminate double parking; to eliminate pedestrian/vehicular conflicts at intersections and thus reduce the potential number of accidents; and to provide clear regulatory and street name signage.« less

Optimization of ramp area aircraft push back time windows in the presence of uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coupe, William Jeremy

It is well known that airport surface traffic congestion at major airports is responsible for increased taxi-out times, fuel burn and excess emissions and there is potential to mitigate these negative consequences through optimizing airport surface traffic operations. Due to a highly congested voice communication channel between pilots and air traffic controllers and a data communication channel that is used only for limited functions, one of the most viable near-term strategies for improvement of the surface traffic is issuing a push back advisory to each departing aircraft. This dissertation focuses on the optimization of a push back time window for each departing aircraft. The optimization takes into account both spatial and temporal uncertainties of ramp area aircraft trajectories. The uncertainties are described by a stochastic kinematic model of aircraft trajectories, which is used to infer distributions of combinations of push back times that lead to conflict among trajectories from different gates. The model is validated and the distributions are included in the push back time window optimization. Under the assumption of a fixed taxiway spot schedule, the computed push back time windows can be integrated with a higher level taxiway scheduler to optimize the flow of traffic from the gate to the departure runway queue. To enable real-time decision making the computational time of the push back time window optimization is critical and is analyzed throughout.

Understanding how roadside concentrations of NOx are influenced by the background levels, traffic density, and meteorological conditions using Boosted Regression Trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayegh, Arwa; Tate, James E.; Ropkins, Karl

2016-02-01

Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) is a major component of photochemical smog and its constituents are considered principal traffic-related pollutants affecting human health. This study investigates the influence of background concentrations of NOx, traffic density, and prevailing meteorological conditions on roadside concentrations of NOx at UK urban, open motorway, and motorway tunnel sites using the statistical approach Boosted Regression Trees (BRT). BRT models have been fitted using hourly concentration, traffic, and meteorological data for each site. The models predict, rank, and visualise the relationship between model variables and roadside NOx concentrations. A strong relationship between roadside NOx and monitored local background concentrations is demonstrated. Relationships between roadside NOx and other model variables have been shown to be strongly influenced by the quality and resolution of background concentrations of NOx, i.e. if it were based on monitored data or modelled prediction. The paper proposes a direct method of using site-specific fundamental diagrams for splitting traffic data into four traffic states: free-flow, busy-flow, congested, and severely congested. Using BRT models, the density of traffic (vehicles per kilometre) was observed to have a proportional influence on the concentrations of roadside NOx, with different fitted regression line slopes for the different traffic states. When other influences are conditioned out, the relationship between roadside concentrations and ambient air temperature suggests NOx concentrations reach a minimum at around 22 °C with high concentrations at low ambient air temperatures which could be associated to restricted atmospheric dispersion and/or to changes in road traffic exhaust emission characteristics at low ambient air temperatures. This paper uses BRT models to study how different critical factors, and their relative importance, influence the variation of roadside NOx concentrations. The paper highlights the importance of either setting up local background continuous monitors or improving the quality and resolution of modelled UK background maps and the need to further investigate the influence of ambient air temperature on NOx emissions and roadside NOx concentrations.

Simulation-Based Testbed Development for Analyzing Toll Impacts on Freeway Travel

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

Traffic congestion has been a world-wide problem in metropolitan areas all over the world. Toll-based traffic management is one of the most applicable solutions against freeway congestion. This research chooses two toll roads, the SR-167 HOT Lane and...

Software Tools to Support Research on Airport Departure Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carr, Francis; Evans, Antony; Feron, Eric; Clarke, John-Paul

2003-01-01

A simple, portable and useful collection of software tools has been developed for the analysis of airport surface traffic. The tools are based on a flexible and robust traffic-flow model, and include calibration, validation and simulation functionality for this model. Several different interfaces have been developed to help promote usage of these tools, including a portable Matlab(TM) implementation of the basic algorithms; a web-based interface which provides online access to automated analyses of airport traffic based on a database of real-world operations data which covers over 250 U.S. airports over a 5-year period; and an interactive simulation-based tool currently in use as part of a college-level educational module. More advanced applications for airport departure traffic include taxi-time prediction and evaluation of "windowing" congestion control.

Evaluation of the public health impacts of traffic congestion: a health risk assessment

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Traffic congestion is a significant issue in urban areas in the United States and around the world. Previous analyses have estimated the economic costs of congestion, related to fuel and time wasted, but few have quantified the public health impacts or determined how these impacts compare in magnitude to the economic costs. Moreover, the relative magnitudes of economic and public health impacts of congestion would be expected to vary significantly across urban areas, as a function of road infrastructure, population density, and atmospheric conditions influencing pollutant formation, but this variability has not been explored. Methods In this study, we evaluate the public health impacts of ambient exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations associated with a business-as-usual scenario of predicted traffic congestion. We evaluate 83 individual urban areas using traffic demand models to estimate the degree of congestion in each area from 2000 to 2030. We link traffic volume and speed data with the MOBILE6 model to characterize emissions of PM2.5 and particle precursors attributable to congestion, and we use a source-receptor matrix to evaluate the impact of these emissions on ambient PM2.5 concentrations. Marginal concentration changes are related to a concentration-response function for mortality, with a value of statistical life approach used to monetize the impacts. Results We estimate that the monetized value of PM2.5-related mortality attributable to congestion in these 83 cities in 2000 was approximately $31 billion (2007 dollars), as compared with a value of time and fuel wasted of $60 billion. In future years, the economic impacts grow (to over $100 billion in 2030) while the public health impacts decrease to $13 billion in 2020 before increasing to $17 billion in 2030, given increasing population and congestion but lower emissions per vehicle. Across cities and years, the public health impacts range from more than an order of magnitude less to in excess of the economic impacts. Conclusions Our analyses indicate that the public health impacts of congestion may be significant enough in magnitude, at least in some urban areas, to be considered in future evaluations of the benefits of policies to mitigate congestion. PMID:20979626

Optimization design of urban expressway ramp control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hongke; Li, Peiqi; Zheng, Jinnan; Sun, Xiuzhen; Lin, Shan

2017-05-01

In this paper, various types of expressway systems are analyzed, and a variety of signal combinations are proposed to mitigate traffic congestion. And various signal combinations are used to verify the effectiveness of the multi-signal combinatorial control strategy. The simulation software VISSIM was used to simulate the system. Based on the network model of 25 kinds of road length combinations and the simulation results, an optimization scheme suitable for the practical road model is summarized. The simulation results show that the controller can reduce the travel time by 25% under the large traffic flow and improve the road capacity by about 20%.

The traffic crisis and a tale of two cities: Traffic and air quality in Bangkok and Mexico City

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pendakur, V.S.; Badami, M.G.

1995-12-31

This paper focuses on congestion management techniques, traffic congestion levels and air quality. By using data from Bangkok and Mexico City, it illustrates the need for drastic changes in transportation policy tools and techniques for congestion management and for improving environmental quality. New approaches to investment and regulatory policy analysis and implementation are suggested. This requires the inclusion of all costs and benefits (economic and ecological) in the policy matrix so that investment and regulatory policies act in unison. Megacities are dominant in social, political and economic terms. 30 to 60% of national GDP is typically produced in these cities.more » Their human and motor vehicle populations have been doubling every 15-20 and 6-10 years respectively. They also have the most severe traffic congestion and air quality problems. They have the nation`s highest incidence of poverty and absolute poverty. Large portions of their populations endure severely unhealthy housing and sanitation conditions. Following are important characteristics of urban transportation systems in the megacities: the city centres are heavily congested with motorized traffic; traffic crawl rates vary from 2 to 10 km/hr; car and motorcycle ownership are increasing at annual rates of 10-12% and 15-20% respectively; significant air pollution with no relief in sight; TDM strategies are primarily creating new supply of road capacity; fairly high transit trips with substantial transit investments; weak air pollution monitoring and enforcement; and fairly cheap fuel and high costs of vehicles.« less

Linear stability and nonlinear analyses of traffic waves for the general nonlinear car-following model with multi-time delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Dihua; Chen, Dong; Zhao, Min; Liu, Weining; Zheng, Linjiang

2018-07-01

In this paper, the general nonlinear car-following model with multi-time delays is investigated in order to describe the reactions of vehicle to driving behavior. Platoon stability and string stability criteria are obtained for the general nonlinear car-following model. Burgers equation and Korteweg de Vries (KdV) equation and their solitary wave solutions are derived adopting the reductive perturbation method. We investigate the properties of typical optimal velocity model using both analytic and numerical methods, which estimates the impact of delays about the evolution of traffic congestion. The numerical results show that time delays in sensing relative movement is more sensitive to the stability of traffic flow than time delays in sensing host motion.

Launching automated rotary parking system: Towards traffic congestion free Dhaka city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, Mohummad Shariful; Tithi, Afshana Morshed; Hossain, Farzad; Shetu, Rifat Sultana; Amin, S. M. Abdullah Al; Chowdhury, Shakia Zannatul Ferdous

2017-12-01

Bangladesh is the most densely populated city in the whole world, which is visible more in the capital city Dhaka. People have to suffer and valuable times are being wasted for this chronic quandary. Lack of proper planning of the city, different speed vehicles on the same road, over population, inadequate road space, unplanned stoppage or parking etc. are responsible for causing the traffic congestion in Dhaka City. Among those insufficient/unplanned parking system is one of the main reasons for causing traffic congestion. The automated rotary car parking system is the best and suitable because of its less utilization of space compared to other systems. It is a friendly parking system due to the non-utilization of noise/pollution related mechanism. The aim of this paper is to develop an automated car parking system with a minimum cost for reducing congestion in Dhaka city.

Development of an Analysis Tool for Evaluation of Marginal Impacts of Freeway Incidents in the Las Vegas Area Using FAST’s Dashboard Freeway Data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-21

Incidents are a major source of non-recurring congestion on freeways. In addition to costing millions of dollars in the loss of life, injuries and property damage, traffic incidents also cause additional losses due to the resulting traffic congestion...

77 FR 10960 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Snake Creek, Islamorada, FL

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-24

... to the high volume of vehicle traffic anticipated during the Annual Nautical Flea Market, which will... vehicle traffic. Opening this bridge on demand in past years during the event has resulted in significant vehicle congestion. By opening the bridge only on the top of the hour vehicular congestion will be reduced...

Nuclear traffic and peloton formation in fungal networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roper, Marcus; Hickey, Patrick; Lewkiewicz, Stephanie; Dressaire, Emilie; Read, Nick

2013-11-01

Hyphae, the network of microfluidic pipes that make up a growing fungal cell, must balance their function as conduits for the transport of nuclei with other cellular functions including secretion and growth. Constant flow of nuclei may interfere with the protein traffic that enables other functions to be performed. Live-cell imaging reveals that nuclear flows are anti-congestive; that groups of nuclei flow faster than single nuclei, and that nuclei sweep through the colony in dense clumps. We call these clumps pelotons, after the term used to describe groups of cycle racers slip-streaming off each other. Because of the pelotons, individual hyphae transport nuclei only intermittently, producing long intervals in which hyphae can perform their other functions. Modeling reveals how pelotons are created by interactions between nuclei and the hyphal cytoskeleton, and reveal the control that the fungus enjoys over peloton assembly and timing.

Visual Analysis of Air Traffic Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, George Hans; Pang, Alex

2012-01-01

In this paper, we present visual analysis tools to help study the impact of policy changes on air traffic congestion. The tools support visualization of time-varying air traffic density over an area of interest using different time granularity. We use this visual analysis platform to investigate how changing the aircraft separation volume can reduce congestion while maintaining key safety requirements. The same platform can also be used as a decision aid for processing requests for unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

Impact of Distracted Driving on Safety and Traffic Flow

PubMed Central

Stavrinos, Despina; Jones, Jennifer L.; Garner, Annie A.; Griffin, Russell; Franklin, Crystal A.; Ball, David; Welburn, Sharon C.; Ball, Karlene K.; Sisiopiku, Virginia P.; Fine, Philip R.

2015-01-01

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16 to 25 years of age (split into 2 groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a 4 lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A, C, and E as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner that impacts safety and traffic flow negatively when distracted. PMID:23465745

Impact of distracted driving on safety and traffic flow.

PubMed

Stavrinos, Despina; Jones, Jennifer L; Garner, Annie A; Griffin, Russell; Franklin, Crystal A; Ball, David; Welburn, Sharon C; Ball, Karlene K; Sisiopiku, Virginia P; Fine, Philip R

2013-12-01

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16-25 years of age (split into 2 groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a 4 lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A, C, and E as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) Poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner that impacts safety and traffic flow negatively when distracted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A toolbox for alleviating traffic congestion and enhancing mobility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

This report presents the Tolling Data Test Plan for the national evaluation of the Los Angeles (LA) Congestion Reduction Demonstration (Metro ExpressLanes) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstra...

Increasing Intelligence in Inter-Vehicle Communications to Reduce Traffic Congestions: Experiments in Urban and Highway Environments.

PubMed

Meneguette, Rodolfo I; Filho, Geraldo P R; Guidoni, Daniel L; Pessin, Gustavo; Villas, Leandro A; Ueyama, Jó

2016-01-01

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) rely on Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) to streamline the operation of vehicles by managing vehicle traffic, assisting drivers with safety and sharing information, as well as providing appropriate services for passengers. Traffic congestion is an urban mobility problem, which causes stress to drivers and economic losses. In this context, this work proposes a solution for the detection, dissemination and control of congested roads based on inter-vehicle communication, called INCIDEnT. The main goal of the proposed solution is to reduce the average trip time, CO emissions and fuel consumption by allowing motorists to avoid congested roads. The simulation results show that our proposed solution leads to short delays and a low overhead. Moreover, it is efficient with regard to the coverage of the event and the distance to which the information can be propagated. The findings of the investigation show that the proposed solution leads to (i) high hit rate in the classification of the level of congestion, (ii) a reduction in average trip time, (iii) a reduction in fuel consumption, and (iv) reduced CO emissions.

Increasing Intelligence in Inter-Vehicle Communications to Reduce Traffic Congestions: Experiments in Urban and Highway Environments

PubMed Central

Filho, Geraldo P. R.; Guidoni, Daniel L.; Pessin, Gustavo; Villas, Leandro A.; Ueyama, Jó

2016-01-01

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) rely on Inter-Vehicle Communication (IVC) to streamline the operation of vehicles by managing vehicle traffic, assisting drivers with safety and sharing information, as well as providing appropriate services for passengers. Traffic congestion is an urban mobility problem, which causes stress to drivers and economic losses. In this context, this work proposes a solution for the detection, dissemination and control of congested roads based on inter-vehicle communication, called INCIDEnT. The main goal of the proposed solution is to reduce the average trip time, CO emissions and fuel consumption by allowing motorists to avoid congested roads. The simulation results show that our proposed solution leads to short delays and a low overhead. Moreover, it is efficient with regard to the coverage of the event and the distance to which the information can be propagated. The findings of the investigation show that the proposed solution leads to (i) high hit rate in the classification of the level of congestion, (ii) a reduction in average trip time, (iii) a reduction in fuel consumption, and (iv) reduced CO emissions PMID:27526048

Estimates of CO2 traffic emissions from mobile concentration measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maness, H. L.; Thurlow, M. E.; McDonald, B. C.; Harley, R. A.

2015-03-01

We present data from a new mobile system intended to aid in the design of upcoming urban CO2-monitoring networks. Our collected data include GPS probe data, video-derived traffic density, and accurate CO2 concentration measurements. The method described here is economical, scalable, and self-contained, allowing for potential future deployment in locations without existing traffic infrastructure or vehicle fleet information. Using a test data set collected on California Highway 24 over a 2 week period, we observe that on-road CO2 concentrations are elevated by a factor of 2 in congestion compared to free-flow conditions. This result is found to be consistent with a model including vehicle-induced turbulence and standard engine physics. In contrast to surface concentrations, surface emissions are found to be relatively insensitive to congestion. We next use our model for CO2 concentration together with our data to independently derive vehicle emission rate parameters. Parameters scaling the leading four emission rate terms are found to be within 25% of those expected for a typical passenger car fleet, enabling us to derive instantaneous emission rates directly from our data that compare generally favorably to predictive models presented in the literature. The present results highlight the importance of high spatial and temporal resolution traffic data for interpreting on- and near-road concentration measurements. Future work will focus on transport and the integration of mobile platforms into existing stationary network designs.

An efficient routing strategy for traffic dynamics on two-layer complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jinlong; Wang, Huiling; Zhang, Zhuxi; Zhang, Yi; Duan, Congwen; Qi, Zhaohui; Liu, Yu

2018-05-01

In order to alleviate traffic congestion on multilayer networks, designing an efficient routing strategy is one of the most important ways. In this paper, a novel routing strategy is proposed to reduce traffic congestion on two-layer networks. In the proposed strategy, the optimal paths in the physical layer are chosen by comprehensively considering the roles of nodes’ degrees of the two layers. Both numerical and analytical results indicate that our routing strategy can reasonably redistribute the traffic load of the physical layer, and thus the traffic capacity of two-layer complex networks are significantly enhanced compared with the shortest path routing (SPR) and the global awareness routing (GAR) strategies. This study may shed some light on the optimization of networked traffic dynamics.

Forecasting the clearance time of freeway accidents

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

Freeway congestion is a major and costly problem in many U.S. metropolitan areas. From a traveler's perspective, congestion has costs in terms of longer travel times and lost productivity. From the traffic manager's perspective, congestion causes a f...

Air quality assessment at a congested urban intersection

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-01

The deficient transportation system of Beirut results in significant economic losses for the city and causes severe traffic congestion in the urban areas. Proposals have been made for grade separations at some of the worst congested intersections. Th...

An improved global dynamic routing strategy for scale-free network with tunable clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Lina; Huang, Ning; Zhang, Yue; Bai, Yannan

2016-08-01

An efficient routing strategy can deliver packets quickly to improve the network capacity. Node congestion and transmission path length are inevitable real-time factors for a good routing strategy. Existing dynamic global routing strategies only consider the congestion of neighbor nodes and the shortest path, which ignores other key nodes’ congestion on the path. With the development of detection methods and techniques, global traffic information is readily available and important for the routing choice. Reasonable use of this information can effectively improve the network routing. So, an improved global dynamic routing strategy is proposed, which considers the congestion of all nodes on the shortest path and incorporates the waiting time of the most congested node into the path. We investigate the effectiveness of the proposed routing for scale-free network with different clustering coefficients. The shortest path routing strategy and the traffic awareness routing strategy only considering the waiting time of neighbor node are analyzed comparatively. Simulation results show that network capacity is greatly enhanced compared with the shortest path; congestion state increase is relatively slow compared with the traffic awareness routing strategy. Clustering coefficient increase will not only reduce the network throughput, but also result in transmission average path length increase for scale-free network with tunable clustering. The proposed routing is favorable to ease network congestion and network routing strategy design.

Congestion based mechanism for route discovery in a V2I-V2V system applying smart devices and IoT.

PubMed

Parrado, Natalia; Donoso, Yezid

2015-03-31

The Internet of Things is a new paradigm in which objects in a specific context can be integrated into traditional communication networks to actively participate in solving a determined problem. The Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies are specific cases of IoT and key enablers for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). V2V and V2I have been widely used to solve different problems associated with transportation in cities, in which the most important is traffic congestion. A high percentage of congestion is usually presented by the inappropriate use of resources in vehicular infrastructure. In addition, the integration of traffic congestion in decision making for vehicular traffic is a challenge due to its high dynamic behavior. In this paper, an optimization model over the load balancing in the congestion percentage of the streets is formulated. Later, we explore a fully congestion-oriented route discovery mechanism and we make a proposal on the communication infrastructure that should support it based on V2I and V2V communication. The mechanism is also compared with a modified Dijkstra's approach that reacts at congestion states. Finally, we compare the results of the efficiency of the vehicle's trip with the efficiency in the use of the capacity of the vehicular network.

Congestion Based Mechanism for Route Discovery in a V2I-V2V System Applying Smart Devices and IoT

PubMed Central

Parrado, Natalia; Donoso, Yezid

2015-01-01

The Internet of Things is a new paradigm in which objects in a specific context can be integrated into traditional communication networks to actively participate in solving a determined problem. The Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies are specific cases of IoT and key enablers for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). V2V and V2I have been widely used to solve different problems associated with transportation in cities, in which the most important is traffic congestion. A high percentage of congestion is usually presented by the inappropriate use of resources in vehicular infrastructure. In addition, the integration of traffic congestion in decision making for vehicular traffic is a challenge due to its high dynamic behavior. In this paper, an optimization model over the load balancing in the congestion percentage of the streets is formulated. Later, we explore a fully congestion-oriented route discovery mechanism and we make a proposal on the communication infrastructure that should support it based on V2I and V2V communication. The mechanism is also compared with a modified Dijkstra’s approach that reacts at congestion states. Finally, we compare the results of the efficiency of the vehicle’s trip with the efficiency in the use of the capacity of the vehicular network. PMID:25835185

Large-scale transportation network congestion evolution prediction using deep learning theory.

PubMed

Ma, Xiaolei; Yu, Haiyang; Wang, Yunpeng; Wang, Yinhai

2015-01-01

Understanding how congestion at one location can cause ripples throughout large-scale transportation network is vital for transportation researchers and practitioners to pinpoint traffic bottlenecks for congestion mitigation. Traditional studies rely on either mathematical equations or simulation techniques to model traffic congestion dynamics. However, most of the approaches have limitations, largely due to unrealistic assumptions and cumbersome parameter calibration process. With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Internet of Things (IoT), transportation data become more and more ubiquitous. This triggers a series of data-driven research to investigate transportation phenomena. Among them, deep learning theory is considered one of the most promising techniques to tackle tremendous high-dimensional data. This study attempts to extend deep learning theory into large-scale transportation network analysis. A deep Restricted Boltzmann Machine and Recurrent Neural Network architecture is utilized to model and predict traffic congestion evolution based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data from taxi. A numerical study in Ningbo, China is conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Results show that the prediction accuracy can achieve as high as 88% within less than 6 minutes when the model is implemented in a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-based parallel computing environment. The predicted congestion evolution patterns can be visualized temporally and spatially through a map-based platform to identify the vulnerable links for proactive congestion mitigation.

Large-Scale Transportation Network Congestion Evolution Prediction Using Deep Learning Theory

PubMed Central

Ma, Xiaolei; Yu, Haiyang; Wang, Yunpeng; Wang, Yinhai

2015-01-01

Understanding how congestion at one location can cause ripples throughout large-scale transportation network is vital for transportation researchers and practitioners to pinpoint traffic bottlenecks for congestion mitigation. Traditional studies rely on either mathematical equations or simulation techniques to model traffic congestion dynamics. However, most of the approaches have limitations, largely due to unrealistic assumptions and cumbersome parameter calibration process. With the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Internet of Things (IoT), transportation data become more and more ubiquitous. This triggers a series of data-driven research to investigate transportation phenomena. Among them, deep learning theory is considered one of the most promising techniques to tackle tremendous high-dimensional data. This study attempts to extend deep learning theory into large-scale transportation network analysis. A deep Restricted Boltzmann Machine and Recurrent Neural Network architecture is utilized to model and predict traffic congestion evolution based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data from taxi. A numerical study in Ningbo, China is conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. Results show that the prediction accuracy can achieve as high as 88% within less than 6 minutes when the model is implemented in a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)-based parallel computing environment. The predicted congestion evolution patterns can be visualized temporally and spatially through a map-based platform to identify the vulnerable links for proactive congestion mitigation. PMID:25780910

Performance analysis of SS7 congestion controls under sustained overload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manfield, David R.; Millsteed, Gregory K.; Zukerman, Moshe

1994-04-01

Congestion controls are a key factor in achieving the robust performance required of common channel signaling (CCS) networks in the face of partial network failures and extreme traffic loads, especially as networks become large and carry high traffic volume. The CCITT recommendations define a number of types of congestion control, and the parameters of the controls must be well set in order to ensure their efficacy under transient and sustained signalling network overload. The objective of this paper is to present a modeling approach to the determination of the network parameters that govern the performance of the SS7 congestion controls under sustained overload. Results of the investigation by simulation are presented and discussed.

Distributed and Centralized Conflict Management Under Traffic Flow Management Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feron, Eric; Bilimoria, Karl (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The past year's activity has concentrated on the following two activities: (1) Refining and completing our study on the stability of interacting flows of aircraft when they have to resolve conflicts in a decentralized and sequential manner. More specifically, it was felt that some of the modeling assumptions made during previous research (such offset maneuvering models) could be improved to include more realistic models such as heading changes when analyzing interacting flow stability problems. We extended our analysis to achieve this goal. The results of this study have been submitted for presentation at the 2002 American Control Conference; (2) Examining the issues associated with delay propagation across multiple enroute sectors. This study was initiated at NASA in cooperation with Dr. Karl Bilimoria. Considering a set of adjacent sectors, this ongoing study concentrates on the effect of various traffic flow management strategies on the propagation of delays and congestion across sectors. The problem description and findings so far are reported in the attached working paper "Enroute sector buffering capacity."

The feedback control research on straight and curved road with car-following model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yi-Ming; Cheng, Rong-Jun; Ge, Hong-Xia

2017-07-01

Taking account of the road consisting of curved part and straight part, an extended car-following model is proposed in this paper. A control signal including the velocity difference between the considered vehicle and the vehicle in front is taken into account. The control theory method is applied into analysis of the stability condition for the model. Numerical simulations are implemented to prove that the stability of the traffic flow strengthens effectively with an increase of the radius of curved road, and the control signal can suppress the traffic congestion. The results are in good agree with the theoretical analysis.

Three methods for estimating a range of vehicular interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krbálek, Milan; Apeltauer, Jiří; Apeltauer, Tomáš; Szabová, Zuzana

2018-02-01

We present three different approaches how to estimate the number of preceding cars influencing a decision-making procedure of a given driver moving in saturated traffic flows. The first method is based on correlation analysis, the second one evaluates (quantitatively) deviations from the main assumption in the convolution theorem for probability, and the third one operates with advanced instruments of the theory of counting processes (statistical rigidity). We demonstrate that universally-accepted premise on short-ranged traffic interactions may not be correct. All methods introduced have revealed that minimum number of actively-followed vehicles is two. It supports an actual idea that vehicular interactions are, in fact, middle-ranged. Furthermore, consistency between the estimations used is surprisingly credible. In all cases we have found that the interaction range (the number of actively-followed vehicles) drops with traffic density. Whereas drivers moving in congested regimes with lower density (around 30 vehicles per kilometer) react on four or five neighbors, drivers moving in high-density flows respond to two predecessors only.

Integrated risk/cost planning models for the US Air Traffic system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulvey, J. M.; Zenios, S. A.

1985-01-01

A prototype network planning model for the U.S. Air Traffic control system is described. The model encompasses the dual objectives of managing collision risks and transportation costs where traffic flows can be related to these objectives. The underlying structure is a network graph with nonseparable convex costs; the model is solved efficiently by capitalizing on its intrinsic characteristics. Two specialized algorithms for solving the resulting problems are described: (1) truncated Newton, and (2) simplicial decomposition. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated using data collected from a control center in the Midwest. Computational results with different computer systems are presented, including a vector supercomputer (CRAY-XMP). The risk/cost model has two primary uses: (1) as a strategic planning tool using aggregate flight information, and (2) as an integrated operational system for forecasting congestion and monitoring (controlling) flow throughout the U.S. In the latter case, access to a supercomputer is required due to the model's enormous size.

The influence of heavy vehicles on traffic dynamics around on-ramp system: Cellular automata approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Dewen; Guo, Xiucheng; Wu, Dingxin

Although the on-ramp system has been widely studied, the influence of heavy vehicles is unknown because researchers only investigate the traffic dynamics around on-ramp system under homogeneous traffic conditions, which is different in real-world settings. This paper uses an improved cellular automaton model to study the heterogeneous traffic around on-ramp system. The forward motion rules are improved by considering the differences of driving behavior in different vehicle combinations. The lane change rules are improved by reflecting the aggressive behavior in mandatory lane changes. The phase diagram, traffic flow, capacity and spatial-temporal diagram are analyzed under the influences of heavy vehicles. The results show that by increasing the percentage of heavy vehicles, there will be more severe traffic congestion around on-ramp system, lower saturated flow and capacity. Also, the interactions between main road and on-ramp have been investigated. Increasing the percentage of heavy vehicles at the upstream of the conflict area on the main road or restricting heavy vehicles on the outside lane of the main road will deteriorate the performance of on-ramp. While the main road will have better performance as the percentage of heavy vehicles on the on-ramp increases when the on-ramp inflow rate is not low.

A resilience-oriented approach for quantitatively assessing recurrent spatial-temporal congestion on urban roads.

PubMed

Tang, Junqing; Heinimann, Hans Rudolf

2018-01-01

Traffic congestion brings not only delay and inconvenience, but other associated national concerns, such as greenhouse gases, air pollutants, road safety issues and risks. Identification, measurement, tracking, and control of urban recurrent congestion are vital for building a livable and smart community. A considerable amount of works has made contributions to tackle the problem. Several methods, such as time-based approaches and level of service, can be effective for characterizing congestion on urban streets. However, studies with systemic perspectives have been minor in congestion quantification. Resilience, on the other hand, is an emerging concept that focuses on comprehensive systemic performance and characterizes the ability of a system to cope with disturbance and to recover its functionality. In this paper, we symbolized recurrent congestion as internal disturbance and proposed a modified metric inspired by the well-applied "R4" resilience-triangle framework. We constructed the metric with generic dimensions from both resilience engineering and transport science to quantify recurrent congestion based on spatial-temporal traffic patterns and made the comparison with other two approaches in freeway and signal-controlled arterial cases. Results showed that the metric can effectively capture congestion patterns in the study area and provides a quantitative benchmark for comparison. Also, it suggested not only a good comparative performance in measuring strength of proposed metric, but also its capability of considering the discharging process in congestion. The sensitivity tests showed that proposed metric possesses robustness against parameter perturbation in Robustness Range (RR), but the number of identified congestion patterns can be influenced by the existence of ϵ. In addition, the Elasticity Threshold (ET) and the spatial dimension of cell-based platform differ the congestion results significantly on both the detected number and intensity. By tackling this conventional problem with emerging concept, our metric provides a systemic alternative approach and enriches the toolbox for congestion assessment. Future work will be conducted on a larger scale with multiplex scenarios in various traffic conditions.

Urban roadway congestion : annual report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

The annual traffic congestion study is an effort to monitor roadway congestion in major urban areas in the United States. The comparisons to other areas and to previous experiences in each area are facilitated by a database that begins in 1982 and in...

Nonlinear relative-proportion-based route adjustment process for day-to-day traffic dynamics: modeling, equilibrium and stability analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wenlong; Ma, Shoufeng; Tian, Junfang; Li, Geng

2016-11-01

Travelers' route adjustment behaviors in a congested road traffic network are acknowledged as a dynamic game process between them. Existing Proportional-Switch Adjustment Process (PSAP) models have been extensively investigated to characterize travelers' route choice behaviors; PSAP has concise structure and intuitive behavior rule. Unfortunately most of which have some limitations, i.e., the flow over adjustment problem for the discrete PSAP model, the absolute cost differences route adjustment problem, etc. This paper proposes a relative-Proportion-based Route Adjustment Process (rePRAP) maintains the advantages of PSAP and overcomes these limitations. The rePRAP describes the situation that travelers on higher cost route switch to those with lower cost at the rate that is unilaterally depended on the relative cost differences between higher cost route and its alternatives. It is verified to be consistent with the principle of the rational behavior adjustment process. The equivalence among user equilibrium, stationary path flow pattern and stationary link flow pattern is established, which can be applied to judge whether a given network traffic flow has reached UE or not by detecting the stationary or non-stationary state of link flow pattern. The stability theorem is proved by the Lyapunov function approach. A simple example is tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of the rePRAP model.

Reasoning the causality of city sprawl, traffic congestion, and green land disappearance in Taiwan using the CLD model.

PubMed

Chen, Mei-Chih; Chang, Kaowen

2014-11-06

Many city governments choose to supply more developable land and transportation infrastructure with the hope of attracting people and businesses to their cities. However, like those in Taiwan, major cities worldwide suffer from traffic congestion. This study applies the system thinking logic of the causal loops diagram (CLD) model in the System Dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the issue of traffic congestion and other issues related to roads and land development in Taiwan's cities. Comparing the characteristics of development trends with yearbook data for 2002 to 2013 for all of Taiwan's cities, this study explores the developing phenomenon of unlimited city sprawl and identifies the cause and effect relationships in the characteristics of development trends in traffic congestion, high-density population aggregation in cities, land development, and green land disappearance resulting from city sprawl. This study provides conclusions for Taiwan's cities' sustainability and development (S&D). When developing S&D policies, during decision making processes concerning city planning and land use management, governments should think with a holistic view of carrying capacity with the assistance of system thinking to clarify the prejudices in favor of the unlimited developing phenomena resulting from city sprawl.

Assessment and management of human health risk from toxic metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban stormwater arising from anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion.

PubMed

Ma, Yukun; Liu, An; Egodawatta, Prasanna; McGree, James; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

2017-02-01

Toxic metals (TMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban stormwater pose risk to human health, thereby constraining its reuse potential. Based on the hypothesis that stormwater quality is primarily influenced by anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion, the primary focus of the research study was to analyse the impacts on human health risk from TMs and PAHs in urban stormwater and thereby develop a quantitative risk assessment model. The study found that anthropogenic activities and traffic congestion exert influence on the risk posed by TMs and PAHs in stormwater from commercial and residential areas. Motor vehicle related businesses (FVS) and traffic congestion (TC) were identified as two parameters which need to be included as independent variables to improve the model. Based on the study outcomes, approaches for mitigating the risk associated with TMs and PAHs in urban stormwater are discussed. Additionally, a roadmap is presented for the assessment and management of the risk arising from these pollutants. The study outcomes are expected to contribute to reducing the human health risk associated urban stormwater pollution and thereby enhance its reuse potential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of congestion-reducing measures used in Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-01-01

Congestion on our nation's highways, especially in urban areas, is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse. In Virginia, it is estimated that 28 percent of the daily vehicle miles of travel (VMT) occurring during peak hour traffic is congest...

Seasonal variation in traffic congestion : a study of three U.S. cities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-08-01

Drivers may notice seasonal : changes in patterns of highway : congestion in many urban : areas of the country. These : patterns, however, can be very different for individual cities. : This report looks at congestion patterns over a 3-year period : ...

Utilizing traffic simulation tools with MOVES and AERMOD

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Overview: Quantify the emissions and fuel consumption associated with traffic congestion from Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) crashes Project Description Traffic Simulation Emissions Analysis Future Use with Dispersion Analysis

Collective benefits in traffic during mega events via the use of information technologies

PubMed Central

Xu, Yanyan; González, Marta C.

2017-01-01

Information technologies today can inform each of us about the route with the shortest time, but they do not contain incentives to manage travellers such that we all get collective benefits in travel times. To that end we need travel demand estimates and target strategies to reduce the traffic volume from the congested roads during peak hours in a feasible way. During large events, the traffic inconveniences in large cities are unusually high, yet temporary, and the entire population may be more willing to adopt collective recommendations for collective benefits in traffic. In this paper, we integrate, for the first time, big data resources to estimate the impact of events on traffic and propose target strategies for collective good at the urban scale. In the context of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, we first predict the expected increase in traffic. To that end, we integrate data from mobile phones, Airbnb, Waze and transit information, with game schedules and expected attendance in each venue. Next, we evaluate different route choice scenarios for drivers during the peak hours. Finally, we gather information on the trips that contribute the most to the global congestion which could be redirected from vehicles to transit. Interestingly, we show that (i) following new route alternatives during the event with individual shortest times can save more collective travel time than keeping the routine routes used before the event, uncovering the positive value of information technologies during events; (ii) with only a small proportion of people selected from specific areas switching from driving to public transport, the collective travel time can be reduced to a great extent. Results are presented online for evaluation by the public and policymakers (www.flows-rio2016.com (last accessed 3 September 2017)). PMID:28404868

Collective benefits in traffic during mega events via the use of information technologies.

PubMed

Xu, Yanyan; González, Marta C

2017-04-01

Information technologies today can inform each of us about the route with the shortest time, but they do not contain incentives to manage travellers such that we all get collective benefits in travel times. To that end we need travel demand estimates and target strategies to reduce the traffic volume from the congested roads during peak hours in a feasible way. During large events, the traffic inconveniences in large cities are unusually high, yet temporary, and the entire population may be more willing to adopt collective recommendations for collective benefits in traffic. In this paper, we integrate, for the first time, big data resources to estimate the impact of events on traffic and propose target strategies for collective good at the urban scale. In the context of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, we first predict the expected increase in traffic. To that end, we integrate data from mobile phones, Airbnb, Waze and transit information, with game schedules and expected attendance in each venue. Next, we evaluate different route choice scenarios for drivers during the peak hours. Finally, we gather information on the trips that contribute the most to the global congestion which could be redirected from vehicles to transit. Interestingly, we show that (i) following new route alternatives during the event with individual shortest times can save more collective travel time than keeping the routine routes used before the event, uncovering the positive value of information technologies during events; (ii) with only a small proportion of people selected from specific areas switching from driving to public transport, the collective travel time can be reduced to a great extent. Results are presented online for evaluation by the public and policymakers (www.flows-rio2016.com (last accessed 3 September 2017)). © 2017 The Author(s).

Inferring the background traffic arrival process in the Internet.

PubMed

Hága, Péter; Csabai, István; Vattay, Gábor

2009-12-01

Phase transition has been found in many complex interactivity systems. Complex networks are not exception either but there are quite few real systems where we can directly understand the emergence of this nontrivial behavior from the microscopic view. In this paper, we present the emergence of the phase transition between the congested and uncongested phases of a network link. We demonstrate a method to infer the background traffic arrival process, which is one of the key state parameters of the Internet traffic. The traffic arrival process in the Internet has been investigated in several studies, since the recognition of its self-similar nature. The statistical properties of the traffic arrival process are very important since they are fundamental in modeling the dynamical behavior. Here, we demonstrate how the widely used packet train technique can be used to determine the main properties of the traffic arrival process. We show that the packet train dispersion is sensitive to the congestion on the network path. We introduce the packet train stretch as an order parameter to describe the phase transition between the congested and uncongested phases of the bottleneck link in the path. We find that the distribution of the background traffic arrival process can be determined from the average packet train dispersion at the critical point of the system.

Enhancing CORSIM for simulating high occupancy/toll lane operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-15

Congestion pricing has been advocated as an efficient way to mitigate traffic congestion : since 1920s. A prevalent form of congestion pricing in the U.S. is high occupancy/toll (HOT) : lanes. The operating objective of HOT lanes is to improve the th...

Statewide planning scenario synthesis : transportation congestion measurement and management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-01

This study is a review of current practices in 13 states to: (1) measure traffic congestion and its costs; and (2) manage congestion with programs and techniques that do not involve the building of new highway capacity. In regard to the measures of c...

Intelligent Traffic Quantification System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohanty, Anita; Bhanja, Urmila; Mahapatra, Sudipta

2017-08-01

Currently, city traffic monitoring and controlling is a big issue in almost all cities worldwide. Vehicular ad-hoc Network (VANET) technique is an efficient tool to minimize this problem. Usually, different types of on board sensors are installed in vehicles to generate messages characterized by different vehicle parameters. In this work, an intelligent system based on fuzzy clustering technique is developed to reduce the number of individual messages by extracting important features from the messages of a vehicle. Therefore, the proposed fuzzy clustering technique reduces the traffic load of the network. The technique also reduces congestion and quantifies congestion.

Local empathy provides global minimization of congestion in communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meloni, Sandro; Gómez-Gardeñes, Jesús

2010-11-01

We present a mechanism to avoid congestion in complex networks based on a local knowledge of traffic conditions and the ability of routers to self-coordinate their dynamical behavior. In particular, routers make use of local information about traffic conditions to either reject or accept information packets from their neighbors. We show that when nodes are only aware of their own congestion state they self-organize into a hierarchical configuration that delays remarkably the onset of congestion although leading to a sharp first-order-like congestion transition. We also consider the case when nodes are aware of the congestion state of their neighbors. In this case, we show that empathy between nodes is strongly beneficial to the overall performance of the system and it is possible to achieve larger values for the critical load together with a smooth, second-order-like, transition. Finally, we show how local empathy minimize the impact of congestion as much as global minimization. Therefore, here we present an outstanding example of how local dynamical rules can optimize the system’s functioning up to the levels reached using global knowledge.

On-board congestion control for satellite packet switching networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, Pong P.

1991-01-01

It is desirable to incorporate packet switching capability on-board for future communication satellites. Because of the statistical nature of packet communication, incoming traffic fluctuates and may cause congestion. Thus, it is necessary to incorporate a congestion control mechanism as part of the on-board processing to smooth and regulate the bursty traffic. Although there are extensive studies on congestion control for both baseband and broadband terrestrial networks, these schemes are not feasible for space based switching networks because of the unique characteristics of satellite link. Here, we propose a new congestion control method for on-board satellite packet switching. This scheme takes into consideration the long propagation delay in satellite link and takes advantage of the the satellite's broadcasting capability. It divides the control between the ground terminals and satellite, but distributes the primary responsibility to ground terminals and only requires minimal hardware resource on-board satellite.

Weather-responsive traffic management : real solutions for serious traffic problems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

This flyer describes how weather responsive traffic management (WRTM) can prevent or mitigate the effects of weather on traffic operations and reduce congestion. The three types of WRTM described in the flyer include 1) Advisory strategies that provi...

Enhanced intelligent driver model to access the impact of driving strategies on traffic capacity.

PubMed

Kesting, Arne; Treiber, Martin; Helbing, Dirk

2010-10-13

With an increasing number of vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control (ACC), the impact of such vehicles on the collective dynamics of traffic flow becomes relevant. By means of simulation, we investigate the influence of variable percentages of ACC vehicles on traffic flow characteristics. For simulating the ACC vehicles, we propose a new car-following model that also serves as the basis of an ACC implementation in real cars. The model is based on the intelligent driver model (IDM) and inherits its intuitive behavioural parameters: desired velocity, acceleration, comfortable deceleration and desired minimum time headway. It eliminates, however, the sometimes unrealistic behaviour of the IDM in cut-in situations with ensuing small gaps that regularly are caused by lane changes of other vehicles in dense or congested traffic. We simulate the influence of different ACC strategies on the maximum capacity before breakdown and the (dynamic) bottleneck capacity after breakdown. With a suitable strategy, we find sensitivities of the order of 0.3, i.e. 1 per cent more ACC vehicles will lead to an increase in the capacities by about 0.3 per cent. This sensitivity multiplies when considering travel times at actual breakdowns.

A Conceptual Design of a Departure Planner Decision Aid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anagnostakis, Ioannis; Idris, Husni R.; Clark, John-Paul; Feron, Eric; Hansman, R. John; Odoni, Amedeo R.; Hall, William D.

2000-01-01

Terminal area Air Traffic Management handles both arriving and departing traffic. To date, research work on terminal area operations has focused primarily on the arrival flow and typically departures are taken into account only in an approximate manner. However, arrivals and departures are highly coupled processes especially in the terminal airspace, with complex interactions and sharing of the same airport resources between arrivals and departures taking place in practically every important terminal area. Therefore, the addition of automation aids for departures, possibly in co-operation with existing arrival flow automation systems, could have a profound contribution in enhancing the overall efficiency of airport operations. This paper presents the conceptual system architecture for such an automation aid, the Departure Planner (DP). This architecture can be used as a core in the development of decision-aiding systems to assist air traffic controllers in improving the performance of departure operations and optimize runway time allocation among different operations at major congested airports. The design of such systems is expected to increase the overall efficiency of terminal area operations and yield benefits for all stakeholders involved in Air Traffic Management (ATM) operations, users as well as service providers.

Dynamical analysis of Lorenz System on traffic problem in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartono; Saptaningtyas, F. Y.; Krisnawan, K. P.

2018-03-01

The traffic congestion becomes a routine problem which occurs in Yogyakarta. This study was to develop a mathematical model of traffic congestion using Lorenz System. This system was used to analyze the traffic condition in Yogyakarta road. The data was taken from the observation of the road and it had been validated. Routh Hourwith used to analyse the stability of free jamm equlibrium. The dynamic analysis showed that the system was stabil. Numerical solution showed that the bigger value of ratio of the distance relaxsation time to velocity relaxsation time resulting the more time to reach the stabil condition. It showed that more and more time to reach optimal velocity, needed more and more time as well to reach equilibrium. Traffic condition at the time of observation was ideal and there was no transition of traffic jam.

23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... experiencing congestion, the NPS shall develop a separate CMS to cover those facilities. Approaches may include... congestion management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic...

23 CFR 970.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... experiencing congestion, the NPS shall develop a separate CMS to cover those facilities. Approaches may include... congestion management strategies; (v) Determine methods to monitor and evaluate the performance of the multi... means the level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic...

Input-Output Modeling and Control of the Departure Process of Congested Airports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pujet, Nicolas; Delcaire, Bertrand; Feron, Eric

2003-01-01

A simple queueing model of busy airport departure operations is proposed. This model is calibrated and validated using available runway configuration and traffic data. The model is then used to evaluate preliminary control schemes aimed at alleviating departure traffic congestion on the airport surface. The potential impact of these control strategies on direct operating costs, environmental costs and overall delay is quantified and discussed.

Reasoning the Causality of City Sprawl, Traffic Congestion, and Green Land Disappearance in Taiwan Using the CLD Model

PubMed Central

Chen, Mei-Chih; Chang, Kaowen

2014-01-01

Many city governments choose to supply more developable land and transportation infrastructure with the hope of attracting people and businesses to their cities. However, like those in Taiwan, major cities worldwide suffer from traffic congestion. This study applies the system thinking logic of the causal loops diagram (CLD) model in the System Dynamics (SD) approach to analyze the issue of traffic congestion and other issues related to roads and land development in Taiwan’s cities. Comparing the characteristics of development trends with yearbook data for 2002 to 2013 for all of Taiwan’s cities, this study explores the developing phenomenon of unlimited city sprawl and identifies the cause and effect relationships in the characteristics of development trends in traffic congestion, high-density population aggregation in cities, land development, and green land disappearance resulting from city sprawl. This study provides conclusions for Taiwan’s cities’ sustainability and development (S&D). When developing S&D policies, during decision making processes concerning city planning and land use management, governments should think with a holistic view of carrying capacity with the assistance of system thinking to clarify the prejudices in favor of the unlimited developing phenomena resulting from city sprawl. PMID:25383609

Heavy metal pollution in Nanchang City and its health implication on traffic policemen.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaozhen; Liang, Yue; Guo, Jiangmei

2017-09-27

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health effect of heavy metal pollution in air pollutants on traffic policemen. This study will facilitate the scientific evaluation of health status of traffic policemen. PM 10 samples were collected from industrial area, congested traffic area and residential area respectively in Nanchang City, and the concentrations of heavy metals were analyzed. The traffic policemen were examined through chest X-rays. The total of 637 urine samples and 142 blood samples have been collected, and the concentrations of Pb in samples were detected. Vehicle flux data of Nanchang City were collected from the Department of Transport's Traffic Management. Statistic analyses were carried out by statistics software of Excel 2003 and SPSS20.0, and the health effect of heavy metal pollution of PM 10 on the traffic policemen was evaluated. The discharge of pollutants from enterprises is an important reason for the high content of heavy metals in urban air pollution. With the rapid growth of urban traffic flow, Bayi Bridge becomes an important transportation hinge in Nanchang City, and the bidirectional traffic flow rate through the bridge at peak hours reached 99 vehicles per minute. The latent hazard of occupational harm on the traffic policemen caused by automobile exhaust is increasing. The concentration of Pb in the urine and blood samples from traffic policemen working in Nanchang City was 268.310 ± 177.031 and 22.873 ± 21.137 μg/L, respectively. Both results (2.04% of Pb in urine and 18.31% of Pb in blood) exceeded the highest limit of observed occupationally outdoor workers. This study provides an initial contribution for the assessment of city air pollution, esp. the health effect of heavy metal (Pb) pollution on traffic policemen.

Extended shortest path selection for package routing of complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Fan; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Bing-Hong; Liu, Lu; Zhang, Xing-Yi

The routing strategy plays a very important role in complex networks such as Internet system and Peer-to-Peer networks. However, most of the previous work concentrates only on the path selection, e.g. Flooding and Random Walk, or finding the shortest path (SP) and rarely considering the local load information such as SP and Distance Vector Routing. Flow-based Routing mainly considers load balance and still cannot achieve best optimization. Thus, in this paper, we propose a novel dynamic routing strategy on complex network by incorporating the local load information into SP algorithm to enhance the traffic flow routing optimization. It was found that the flow in a network is greatly affected by the waiting time of the network, so we should not consider only choosing optimized path for package transformation but also consider node congestion. As a result, the packages should be transmitted with a global optimized path with smaller congestion and relatively short distance. Analysis work and simulation experiments show that the proposed algorithm can largely enhance the network flow with the maximum throughput within an acceptable calculating time. The detailed analysis of the algorithm will also be provided for explaining the efficiency.

Guidelines for the operation of variable message signs on state highways

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-06-01

A variable message sign (VMS) is a traffic control device whose message can be changed manually, electrically, mechanically, or electromechanically to provide motorists with information about traffic congestion, traffic crashes, maintenance operation...

Enhancement of freeway incident traffic management and resulting benefits.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

To improve traffic conditions on major highways plagued by non-recurrent congestion, most : highway agencies have invested their resources in two principal operational programs: incident response : and clearance, and traffic impact management. Howeve...

Optimized active traffic management and speed harmonization in work zones.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Traffic and demand management are major strategies to control delay and congestion in : highway bottlenecks including work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) : introduced innovative strategies, called Active Traffic and Demand Managemen...

Connected vehicle freeway speed harmonization systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-15

The capacity drop phenomenon, which reduces the maximum bottleneck discharge rate following the onset of congestion, is a critical restriction in transportation networks that causes additional traffic congestion. Consequently, preventing or reducing ...

Speed harmonization

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

Speed harmonization is a method to reduce congestion and improve traffic performance. This method is applied at points where lanes merge and form bottlenecks, the greatest cause of congestion nationwide. The strategy involves gradually lowering speed...

Active Traffic Management: Comprehension, Legibility, Distance, and Motorist Behavior In Response to Selected Variable Speed Limit and Lane Control Signing

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

Active traffic management (ATM) incorporates a collection of strategies allowing the dynamic management of recurrent and nonrecurrent congestion based on prevailing traffic conditions. These strategies help to increase peak capacity, smooth traffic f...

Multibunch solutions of the differential-difference equation for traffic flow

PubMed

Nakanishi

2000-09-01

The Newell-Whitham type of car-following model, with a hyperbolic tangent as the optimal velocity function, has a finite number of exact steady traveling wave solutions that can be expressed in terms of elliptic theta functions. Each such solution describes a density wave with a definite number of car bunches on a circuit. In our numerical simulations, we observe a transition process from uniform flow to congested flow described by a one-bunch analytic solution, which appears to be an attractor of the system. In this process, the system exhibits a series of transitions through which it comes to assume configurations closely approximating multibunch solutions with successively fewer bunches.

Querying and Extracting Timeline Information from Road Traffic Sensor Data

PubMed Central

Imawan, Ardi; Indikawati, Fitri Indra; Kwon, Joonho; Rao, Praveen

2016-01-01

The escalation of traffic congestion in urban cities has urged many countries to use intelligent transportation system (ITS) centers to collect historical traffic sensor data from multiple heterogeneous sources. By analyzing historical traffic data, we can obtain valuable insights into traffic behavior. Many existing applications have been proposed with limited analysis results because of the inability to cope with several types of analytical queries. In this paper, we propose the QET (querying and extracting timeline information) system—a novel analytical query processing method based on a timeline model for road traffic sensor data. To address query performance, we build a TQ-index (timeline query-index) that exploits spatio-temporal features of timeline modeling. We also propose an intuitive timeline visualization method to display congestion events obtained from specified query parameters. In addition, we demonstrate the benefit of our system through a performance evaluation using a Busan ITS dataset and a Seattle freeway dataset. PMID:27563900

Effects of mental workload on physiological and subjective responses during traffic density monitoring: A field study.

PubMed

Fallahi, Majid; Motamedzade, Majid; Heidarimoghadam, Rashid; Soltanian, Ali Reza; Miyake, Shinji

2016-01-01

This study evaluated operators' mental workload while monitoring traffic density in a city traffic control center. To determine the mental workload, physiological signals (ECG, EMG) were recorded and the NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) was administered for 16 operators. The results showed that the operators experienced a larger mental workload during high traffic density than during low traffic density. The traffic control center stressors caused changes in heart rate variability features and EMG amplitude, although the average workload score was significantly higher in HTD conditions than in LTD conditions. The findings indicated that increasing traffic congestion had a significant effect on HR, RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF ratio, and EMG amplitude. The results suggested that when operators' workload increases, their mental fatigue and stress level increase and their mental health deteriorate. Therefore, it maybe necessary to implement an ergonomic program to manage mental health. Furthermore, by evaluating mental workload, the traffic control center director can organize the center's traffic congestion operators to sustain the appropriate mental workload and improve traffic control management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Distributive routing and congestion control in wireless multihop ad hoc communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glauche, Ingmar; Krause, Wolfram; Sollacher, Rudolf; Greiner, Martin

2004-10-01

Due to their inherent complexity, engineered wireless multihop ad hoc communication networks represent a technological challenge. Having no mastering infrastructure the nodes have to selforganize themselves in such a way that for example network connectivity, good data traffic performance and robustness are guaranteed. In this contribution the focus is on routing and congestion control. First, random data traffic along shortest path routes is studied by simulations as well as theoretical modeling. Measures of congestion like end-to-end time delay and relaxation times are given. A scaling law of the average time delay with respect to network size is revealed and found to depend on the underlying network topology. In the second step, a distributive routing and congestion control is proposed. Each node locally propagates its routing cost estimates and information about its congestion state to its neighbors, which then update their respective cost estimates. This allows for a flexible adaptation of end-to-end routes to the overall congestion state of the network. Compared to shortest-path routing, the critical network load is significantly increased.

Development of a Traffic Management Decision Support Tool for Freeway Incident Traffic Management (FITM) Plan Deployment : Research Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

In designing an effective traffic management plan for non-recurrent congestion, it is critical for responsible highway agencies to have some vital information, such as estimated incident duration, resulting traffic queues, and the expected delays. Ov...

Modeling truck traffic volume growth congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-05-01

Modeling of the statewide transportation system is an important element in understanding issues and programming of funds to thwart potential congestion. As Alabama grows its manufacturing economy, the number of heavy vehicles traversing its highways ...

Developing a congestion mitigation toolbox.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-30

Researchers created A Michigan Toolbox for Mitigating Traffic Congestion to be a useful desk reference for practitioners and an educational tool for elected officials acting through public policy boards to better understand the development, planning,...

Incorporating ITS into transportation planning : phase 1 final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

Incident management is the process of managing multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional responses to highway traffic disruptions. Traffic incidents are a major cause of congestion on the nation?s highway network. More than half of all freeway traffic conge...

Traveler oriented traffic performance metrics using real time traffic data from the Midtown-in-Motion (MIM) project in Manhattan, NY.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

In a congested urban street network the average traffic speed is an inadequate metric for measuring : speed changes that drivers can perceive from changes in traffic control strategies. : A driver oriented metric is needed. Stop frequency distrib...

The Improvement on the Xinjiekou Subway Transfer Channel of Nanjing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. D.; Zheng, C. J.

The subway, which is an effective way to alleviate the traffic congestion, has gradually been constructed in many cities. With the completion of the construction, the transfer station will become the factor that affects the efficiency of the whole transport network. Based on investigation and analysis of the present situation of the passenger flow, the essay will make a prediction with the multiple linear regression and put forward two kinds of transfer channel improvement schemes for xinjiekou transfer station.

Impact of distracted driving on congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association : between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study : examined the behavior of teens and yo...

Congestion-based emergency vehicle preemption.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

This research analyzed and evaluated a new strategy for preemption of emergency vehicles along a corridor, which is : route-based and adaptive to real-time traffic conditions. The method uses dynamic offsets which are adjusted using : congestion-leve...

Implementing active traffic management strategies in the U.S.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

Limited public funding for roadway expansion and improvement projects, coupled with continued growth in travel along congested urban freeway corridors, creates a pressing need for innovative congestion management approaches. Strategies to address con...

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads.

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Zeng, Zhiyuan; Jiang, Rong

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios.

A video-based real-time adaptive vehicle-counting system for urban roads

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In developing nations, many expanding cities are facing challenges that result from the overwhelming numbers of people and vehicles. Collecting real-time, reliable and precise traffic flow information is crucial for urban traffic management. The main purpose of this paper is to develop an adaptive model that can assess the real-time vehicle counts on urban roads using computer vision technologies. This paper proposes an automatic real-time background update algorithm for vehicle detection and an adaptive pattern for vehicle counting based on the virtual loop and detection line methods. In addition, a new robust detection method is introduced to monitor the real-time traffic congestion state of road section. A prototype system has been developed and installed on an urban road for testing. The results show that the system is robust, with a real-time counting accuracy exceeding 99% in most field scenarios. PMID:29135984

Price of anarchy on heterogeneous traffic-flow networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, A.; O'Dea, R.; Hopcraft, K. I.

2016-09-01

The efficiency of routing traffic through a network, comprising nodes connected by links whose cost of traversal is either fixed or varies in proportion to volume of usage, can be measured by the "price of anarchy." This is the ratio of the cost incurred by agents who act to minimize their individual expenditure to the optimal cost borne by the entire system. As the total traffic load and the network variability—parameterized by the proportion of variable-cost links in the network—changes, the behaviors that the system presents can be understood with the introduction of a network of simpler structure. This is constructed from classes of nonoverlapping paths connecting source to destination nodes that are characterized by the number of variable-cost edges they contain. It is shown that localized peaks in the price of anarchy occur at critical traffic volumes at which it becomes beneficial to exploit ostensibly more expensive paths as the network becomes more congested. Simulation results verifying these findings are presented for the variation of the price of anarchy with the network's size, aspect ratio, variability, and traffic load.

Price of anarchy on heterogeneous traffic-flow networks.

PubMed

Rose, A; O'Dea, R; Hopcraft, K I

2016-09-01

The efficiency of routing traffic through a network, comprising nodes connected by links whose cost of traversal is either fixed or varies in proportion to volume of usage, can be measured by the "price of anarchy." This is the ratio of the cost incurred by agents who act to minimize their individual expenditure to the optimal cost borne by the entire system. As the total traffic load and the network variability-parameterized by the proportion of variable-cost links in the network-changes, the behaviors that the system presents can be understood with the introduction of a network of simpler structure. This is constructed from classes of nonoverlapping paths connecting source to destination nodes that are characterized by the number of variable-cost edges they contain. It is shown that localized peaks in the price of anarchy occur at critical traffic volumes at which it becomes beneficial to exploit ostensibly more expensive paths as the network becomes more congested. Simulation results verifying these findings are presented for the variation of the price of anarchy with the network's size, aspect ratio, variability, and traffic load.

Modeling and analyses for an extended car-following model accounting for drivers' situation awareness from cyber physical perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dong; Sun, Dihua; Zhao, Min; Zhou, Tong; Cheng, Senlin

2018-07-01

In fact, driving process is a typical cyber physical process which couples tightly the cyber factor of traffic information with the physical components of the vehicles. Meanwhile, the drivers have situation awareness in driving process, which is not only ascribed to the current traffic states, but also extrapolates the changing trend. In this paper, an extended car-following model is proposed to account for drivers' situation awareness. The stability criterion of the proposed model is derived via linear stability analysis. The results show that the stable region of proposed model will be enlarged on the phase diagram compared with previous models. By employing the reductive perturbation method, the modified Korteweg de Vries (mKdV) equation is obtained. The kink-antikink soliton of mKdV equation reveals theoretically the evolution of traffic jams. Numerical simulations are conducted to verify the analytical results. Two typical traffic Scenarios are investigated. The simulation results demonstrate that drivers' situation awareness plays a key role in traffic flow oscillations and the congestion transition.

Ant colony optimization algorithm for signal coordination of oversaturated traffic networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

Traffic congestion is a daily and growing problem of the modern era in mostly all major cities in the world. : Increasing traffic demand strains the existing transportation system, leading to oversaturated network : conditions, especially at peak hou...

Weather Impact on Airport Arrival Meter Fix Throughput

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yao

2017-01-01

Time-based flow management provides arrival aircraft schedules based on arrival airport conditions, airport capacity, required spacing, and weather conditions. In order to meet a scheduled time at which arrival aircraft can cross an airport arrival meter fix prior to entering the airport terminal airspace, air traffic controllers make regulations on air traffic. Severe weather may create an airport arrival bottleneck if one or more of airport arrival meter fixes are partially or completely blocked by the weather and the arrival demand has not been reduced accordingly. Under these conditions, aircraft are frequently being put in holding patterns until they can be rerouted. A model that predicts the weather impacted meter fix throughput may help air traffic controllers direct arrival flows into the airport more efficiently, minimizing arrival meter fix congestion. This paper presents an analysis of air traffic flows across arrival meter fixes at the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Several scenarios of weather impacted EWR arrival fix flows are described. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and regression tree ensemble learning approaches for translating multiple sector Weather Impacted Traffic Indexes (WITI) to EWR arrival meter fix throughputs are examined. These weather translation models are developed and validated using the EWR arrival flight and weather data for the period of April-September in 2014. This study also compares the performance of the regression tree ensemble with traditional multiple linear regression models for estimating the weather impacted throughputs at each of the EWR arrival meter fixes. For all meter fixes investigated, the results from the regression tree ensemble weather translation models show a stronger correlation between model outputs and observed meter fix throughputs than that produced from multiple linear regression method.

Traveling waves in an optimal velocity model of freeway traffic.

PubMed

Berg, P; Woods, A

2001-03-01

Car-following models provide both a tool to describe traffic flow and algorithms for autonomous cruise control systems. Recently developed optimal velocity models contain a relaxation term that assigns a desirable speed to each headway and a response time over which drivers adjust to optimal velocity conditions. These models predict traffic breakdown phenomena analogous to real traffic instabilities. In order to deepen our understanding of these models, in this paper, we examine the transition from a linear stable stream of cars of one headway into a linear stable stream of a second headway. Numerical results of the governing equations identify a range of transition phenomena, including monotonic and oscillating travelling waves and a time- dependent dispersive adjustment wave. However, for certain conditions, we find that the adjustment takes the form of a nonlinear traveling wave from the upstream headway to a third, intermediate headway, followed by either another traveling wave or a dispersive wave further downstream matching the downstream headway. This intermediate value of the headway is selected such that the nonlinear traveling wave is the fastest stable traveling wave which is observed to develop in the numerical calculations. The development of these nonlinear waves, connecting linear stable flows of two different headways, is somewhat reminiscent of stop-start waves in congested flow on freeways. The different types of adjustments are classified in a phase diagram depending on the upstream and downstream headway and the response time of the model. The results have profound consequences for autonomous cruise control systems. For an autocade of both identical and different vehicles, the control system itself may trigger formations of nonlinear, steep wave transitions. Further information is available [Y. Sugiyama, Traffic and Granular Flow (World Scientific, Singapore, 1995), p. 137].

Traveling waves in an optimal velocity model of freeway traffic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, Peter; Woods, Andrew

2001-03-01

Car-following models provide both a tool to describe traffic flow and algorithms for autonomous cruise control systems. Recently developed optimal velocity models contain a relaxation term that assigns a desirable speed to each headway and a response time over which drivers adjust to optimal velocity conditions. These models predict traffic breakdown phenomena analogous to real traffic instabilities. In order to deepen our understanding of these models, in this paper, we examine the transition from a linear stable stream of cars of one headway into a linear stable stream of a second headway. Numerical results of the governing equations identify a range of transition phenomena, including monotonic and oscillating travelling waves and a time- dependent dispersive adjustment wave. However, for certain conditions, we find that the adjustment takes the form of a nonlinear traveling wave from the upstream headway to a third, intermediate headway, followed by either another traveling wave or a dispersive wave further downstream matching the downstream headway. This intermediate value of the headway is selected such that the nonlinear traveling wave is the fastest stable traveling wave which is observed to develop in the numerical calculations. The development of these nonlinear waves, connecting linear stable flows of two different headways, is somewhat reminiscent of stop-start waves in congested flow on freeways. The different types of adjustments are classified in a phase diagram depending on the upstream and downstream headway and the response time of the model. The results have profound consequences for autonomous cruise control systems. For an autocade of both identical and different vehicles, the control system itself may trigger formations of nonlinear, steep wave transitions. Further information is available [Y. Sugiyama, Traffic and Granular Flow (World Scientific, Singapore, 1995), p. 137].

An Improved Simulated Annealing Technique for Enhanced Mobility in Smart Cities.

PubMed

Amer, Hayder; Salman, Naveed; Hawes, Matthew; Chaqfeh, Moumena; Mihaylova, Lyudmila; Mayfield, Martin

2016-06-30

Vehicular traffic congestion is a significant problem that arises in many cities. This is due to the increasing number of vehicles that are driving on city roads of limited capacity. The vehicular congestion significantly impacts travel distance, travel time, fuel consumption and air pollution. Avoidance of traffic congestion and providing drivers with optimal paths are not trivial tasks. The key contribution of this work consists of the developed approach for dynamic calculation of optimal traffic routes. Two attributes (the average travel speed of the traffic and the roads' length) are utilized by the proposed method to find the optimal paths. The average travel speed values can be obtained from the sensors deployed in smart cities and communicated to vehicles via the Internet of Vehicles and roadside communication units. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to three other algorithms: the simulated annealing weighted sum, the simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution and the Dijkstra algorithm. The weighted sum and technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution methods are used to formulate different attributes in the simulated annealing cost function. According to the Sheffield scenario, simulation results show that the improved simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution method improves the traffic performance in the presence of congestion by an overall average of 19.22% in terms of travel time, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions as compared to other algorithms; also, similar performance patterns were achieved for the Birmingham test scenario.

An Improved Simulated Annealing Technique for Enhanced Mobility in Smart Cities

PubMed Central

Amer, Hayder; Salman, Naveed; Hawes, Matthew; Chaqfeh, Moumena; Mihaylova, Lyudmila; Mayfield, Martin

2016-01-01

Vehicular traffic congestion is a significant problem that arises in many cities. This is due to the increasing number of vehicles that are driving on city roads of limited capacity. The vehicular congestion significantly impacts travel distance, travel time, fuel consumption and air pollution. Avoidance of traffic congestion and providing drivers with optimal paths are not trivial tasks. The key contribution of this work consists of the developed approach for dynamic calculation of optimal traffic routes. Two attributes (the average travel speed of the traffic and the roads’ length) are utilized by the proposed method to find the optimal paths. The average travel speed values can be obtained from the sensors deployed in smart cities and communicated to vehicles via the Internet of Vehicles and roadside communication units. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared to three other algorithms: the simulated annealing weighted sum, the simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution and the Dijkstra algorithm. The weighted sum and technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution methods are used to formulate different attributes in the simulated annealing cost function. According to the Sheffield scenario, simulation results show that the improved simulated annealing technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution method improves the traffic performance in the presence of congestion by an overall average of 19.22% in terms of travel time, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions as compared to other algorithms; also, similar performance patterns were achieved for the Birmingham test scenario. PMID:27376289

Future ATM Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET) Interface Control Document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grabbe, Shon R.

2017-01-01

This Interface Control Document (ICD) documents the airspace adaptation and air traffic inputs of NASA's Future ATM Concepts and Evaluation Tool (FACET). Its intended audience is the project manager, project team, development team, and stakeholders interested in interfacing with the system. FACET equips Air Traffic Management (ATM) researchers and service providers with a way to explore, develop and evaluate advanced air transportation concepts before they are field-tested and eventually deployed. FACET is a flexible software tool that is capable of quickly generating and analyzing thousands of aircraft trajectories. It provides researchers with a simulation environment for preliminary testing of advanced ATM concepts. Using aircraft performance profiles, airspace models, weather data, and flight schedules, the tool models trajectories for the climb, cruise, and descent phases of flight for each type of aircraft. An advanced graphical interface displays traffic patterns in two and three dimensions, under various current and projected conditions for specific airspace regions or over the entire continental United States. The system is able to simulate a full day's dynamic national airspace system (NAS) operations, model system uncertainty, measure the impact of different decision-makers in the NAS, and provide analysis of the results in graphical form, including sector, airport, fix, and airway usage statistics. NASA researchers test and analyze the system-wide impact of new traffic flow management algorithms under anticipated air traffic growth projections on the nation's air traffic system. In addition to modeling the airspace system for NASA research, FACET has also successfully transitioned into a valuable tool for operational use. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) traffic flow managers and commercial airline dispatchers have used FACET technology for real-time operations planning. FACET integrates live air traffic data from FAA radar systems and weather data from the National Weather Service to summarize NAS performance. This information allows system operators to reroute flights around congested airspace and severe weather to maintain safety and minimize delay. FACET also supports the planning and post-operational evaluation of reroute strategies at the national level to maximize system efficiency. For the commercial airline passenger, strategic planning with FACET can result in fewer flight delays and cancellations. The performance capabilities of FACET are largely due to its architecture, which strikes a balance between flexibility and fidelity. FACET is capable of modeling the airspace operations for the continental United States, processing thousands of aircraft on a single computer. FACET was written in Java and C, enabling the portability of its software to a variety of operating systems. In addition, FACET was designed with a modular software architecture to facilitate rapid prototyping of diverse ATM concepts. Several advanced ATM concepts have already been implemented in FACET, including aircraft self-separation, prediction of aircraft demand and sector congestion, system-wide impact assessment of traffic flow management constraints, and wind-optimal routing.

Analysis Of Inland Waterway Transport For Container Shipping: Cikarang To Port Of TanjungPriok

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achmadi, T.; Nur, H. I.; Rahmadhon, L. R.

2018-03-01

Industry's development which is in the center of Cikarang's industrial estate causes a considerable increase from 7% to 13% of container's flow from and to Port of Tanjung Priok per year. Therefore, those obstacles rise the number of traffic congestion and transport cost. This research aims to analyze the potential alternative of transportation in order to transport containers at the route of Tanjung Priok to Cikarang utilizing Inland Waterways Transport through Cikarang Bekasi Laut (CBL) river. This research will be conducted by comparing component of total logistic cost that emerging caused by container trucks and vessels. Self Propelled Container Barge (SPCB) is a pointed alternative transportation in which it is used to transport containers through the waterways. The result of analysis obtained that the capacity of Cikarang Bekasi Laut river is 18,558 roundtrip per year. Furthermore, the collaboration of 3 SPCB operations, as well payload 32 TEUS can decrease the amount of road traffic congestion/density of Cikarang-Port of Tanjung Priok as much as 18.6%. The cost of containers shipping per unit transported by truck is IDR 2.2 Million per TEUs, whereas containers shipping transported by Inland Waterways cost only IDR 1.8 Million per TEUs.

Improved routing strategy based on gravitational field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Hai-Quan; Guo, Jin

2015-10-01

Routing and path selection are crucial for many communication and logistic applications. We study the interaction between nodes and packets and establish a simple model for describing the attraction of the node to the packet in transmission process by using the gravitational field theory, considering the real and potential congestion of the nodes. On the basis of this model, we propose a gravitational field routing strategy that considers the attractions of all of the nodes on the travel path to the packet. In order to illustrate the efficiency of proposed routing algorithm, we introduce the order parameter to measure the throughput of the network by the critical value of phase transition from a free flow phase to a congested phase, and study the distribution of betweenness centrality and traffic jam. Simulations show that, compared with the shortest path routing strategy, the gravitational field routing strategy considerably enhances the throughput of the network and balances the traffic load, and nearly all of the nodes are used efficiently. Project supported by the Technology and Development Research Project of China Railway Corporation (Grant No. 2012X007-D) and the Key Program of Technology and Development Research Foundation of China Railway Corporation (Grant No. 2012X003-A).

Staff Recall Travel Time for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Impacted by Traffic Congestion and Distance: A Digitally Integrated Map Software Study.

PubMed

Cole, Justin; Beare, Richard; Phan, Thanh G; Srikanth, Velandai; MacIsaac, Andrew; Tan, Christianne; Tong, David; Yee, Susan; Ho, Jesslyn; Layland, Jamie

2017-01-01

Recent evidence suggests hospitals fail to meet guideline specified time to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a proportion of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presentations. Implicit in achieving this time is the rapid assembly of crucial catheter laboratory staff. As a proof-of-concept, we set out to create regional maps that graphically show the impact of traffic congestion and distance to destination on staff recall travel times for STEMI, thereby producing a resource that could be used by staff to improve reperfusion time for STEMI. Travel times for staff recalled to one inner and one outer metropolitan hospital at midnight, 6 p.m., and 7 a.m. were estimated using Google Maps Application Programming Interface. Computer modeling predictions were overlaid on metropolitan maps showing color coded staff recall travel times for STEMI, occurring within non-peak and peak hour traffic congestion times. Inner metropolitan hospital staff recall travel times were more affected by traffic congestion compared with outer metropolitan times, and the latter was more affected by distance. The estimated mean travel times to hospital during peak hour were greater than midnight travel times by 13.4 min to the inner and 6.0 min to the outer metropolitan hospital at 6 p.m. ( p  < 0.001). At 7 a.m., the mean difference was 9.5 min to the inner and 3.6 min to the outer metropolitan hospital ( p  < 0.001). Only 45% of inner metropolitan staff were predicted to arrive within 30 min at 6 p.m. compared with 100% at midnight ( p  < 0.001), and 56% of outer metropolitan staff at 6 p.m. ( p  = 0.021). Our results show that integration of map software with traffic congestion data, distance to destination and travel time can predict optimal residence of staff when on-call for PCI.

Characterizing the tradeoffs and costs associated with transportation congestion in supply chains.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-21

We consider distribution and location-planning models for supply chains that explicitly : account for traffic congestion effects. The majority of facility location and transportation : planning models in the operations research literature consider fa...

Investigation of freeway operations in metro Detroit.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-10-01

Traffic incidents are the primary cause of non-recurrent congestion in urban areas, resulting in : reductions in roadway capacity due to crashes, vehicle breakdowns, and other events. In addition to : contributing to congestion and delay, incidents c...

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Philadelphia Metropolitan Region : planning for congestion

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission uses a systematic process for managing traffic congestion and monitoring transportation system performance in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Guided by an advisory team of stakeholders, the agenc...

Highly Dynamic and Adaptive Traffic Congestion Avoidance in Real-Time Inspired by Honey Bee Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wedde, Horst F.; Lehnhoff, Sebastian; van Bonn, Bernhard; Bay, Z.; Becker, S.; Böttcher, S.; Brunner, C.; Büscher, A.; Fürst, T.; Lazarescu, A. M.; Rotaru, E.; Senge, S.; Steinbach, B.; Yilmaz, F.; Zimmermann, T.

Traffic congestions have become a major problem in metropolitan areas world-wide, within and between cities, to an extent where they make driving and transportation times largely unpredictable. Due to the highly dynamic character of congestion building and dissolving this phenomenon appears even to resist a formal treatment. Static approaches, and even more their global management, have proven counterproductive in practice. Given the latest progress in VANET technology and the remarkable commercially driven efforts like in the European C2C consortium, or the VSC Project in the US, allow meanwhile to tackle various aspects of traffic regulation through VANET communication. In this paper we introduce a novel, completely decentralized multi-agent routing algorithm (termed BeeJamA) which we have derived from the foraging behavior of honey bees. It is highly dynamic, adaptive, robust, and scalable, and it allows for both avoiding congestions, and minimizing traveling times to individual destinations. Vehicle guidance is provided well ahead of every intersection, depending on the individual speeds. Thus strict deadlines are imposed on, and respected by, the BeeJamA algorithm. We report on extensive simulation experiments which show the superior performance of BeeJamA over conventional approaches.

Optimizing Natural Gas Networks through Dynamic Manifold Theory and a Decentralized Algorithm: Belgium Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, Caleb; Winfrey, Leigh

2014-10-01

Natural Gas is a major energy source in Europe, yet political instabilities have the potential to disrupt access and supply. Energy resilience is an increasingly essential construct and begins with transmission network design. This study proposes a new way of thinking about modelling natural gas flow. Rather than relying on classical economic models, this problem is cast into a time-dependent Hamiltonian dynamics discussion. Traditional Natural Gas constraints, including inelastic demand and maximum/minimum pipe flows, are portrayed as energy functions and built into the dynamics of each pipe flow. Doing so allows the constraints to be built into the dynamics of each pipeline. As time progresses in the model, natural gas flow rates find the minimum energy, thus the optimal gas flow rates. The most important result of this study is using dynamical principles to ensure the output of natural gas at demand nodes remains constant, which is important for country to country natural gas transmission. Another important step in this study is building the dynamics of each flow in a decentralized algorithm format. Decentralized regulation has solved congestion problems for internet data flow, traffic flow, epidemiology, and as demonstrated in this study can solve the problem of Natural Gas congestion. A mathematical description is provided for how decentralized regulation leads to globally optimized network flow. Furthermore, the dynamical principles and decentralized algorithm are applied to a case study of the Fluxys Belgium Natural Gas Network.

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center vehicular and pedestrian traffic congestion study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-05-01

The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center of Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska is experiencing vehicular and pedestrian congestion. This study was initiated by the United States Forest Service, Alaska Region, in cooperation with Western Federal L...

Analysis of local bus markets – volumes I - III: technical brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-04

Despite having an extensive network of public transit, traffic congestion and transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are significant concerns in New Jersey. This research examines the congestion and GHG impacts of transit by exclusivel...

The use of real-time ground-to-air video during aeromedical response to traffic crashes.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

Deteriorating traffic conditions and resulting safety problems on I-81 have long been a topic of concern. This, coupled with increasing traffic congestion along this largely four-lane highway, has resulted in increased crash rates. Emergency medical ...

The effectiveness and safety of traffic and non-traffic related messages presented on changeable message signs : technical summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-08-01

Changeable message signs are electronic devices used along roadways to provide drivers with guidance related to traffic conditions and other events. Displayed messages can suggest that drivers take alternate routes in response to congestion, accident...

A qualitative study of the core functions of Smart Traffic Centers at the Virginia Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Smart Traffic Centers (STC) were established to address the growing problem of increased congestion caused by traffic demand exceeding roadway capacity. Initially, the core function of the STC was si...

Evaluation of the performance of the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) on Powell Boulevard in Portland, OR.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-07-01

The Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) is used to mitigate traffic congestion along urban arterial corridors. Although there : has been research on SCATS performance, this report combines three different areas of research about SCA...

Development of «Park-and-Ride» system as a tool for sustainable access control managing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danilina, Nina; Vlasov, Denis

2017-10-01

Large cities, whereby people use private transport, are facing the same challenges related to traffic congestion, reliability of public transportation and parking demand. Managing urban traffic and transport has become the most relevant police in transport planning. The article deals with the potential for further implementation in Russian Federation of «Park-and- Ride» recognized as an essential part of the overall transport and parking offer and successful planning tool to reducing congestion for any urban area around the world. The studies have been carried out in Moscow acknowledged as the city core of Moscow agglomeration — the largest and most populous in Russia. The research aims to support for the development of «Park-and-Ride» system applying the methodical approach adapted by the authors for the study to make it relevant for cities. A three-steps access control is offered to reduce private cars use in the city center. The results of the studies shows that such traffic management tool can help successfully in balancing the traffic demand and supply and, consequently, in resolving transport congestion and the number of coherent social, urban and economic challenges addressed to the sustainable development of urban areas.

Congestion control for a fair packet delivery in WSN: from a complex system perspective.

PubMed

Aguirre-Guerrero, Daniela; Marcelín-Jiménez, Ricardo; Rodriguez-Colina, Enrique; Pascoe-Chalke, Michael

2014-01-01

In this work, we propose that packets travelling across a wireless sensor network (WSN) can be seen as the active agents that make up a complex system, just like a bird flock or a fish school, for instance. From this perspective, the tools and models that have been developed to study this kind of systems have been applied. This is in order to create a distributed congestion control based on a set of simple rules programmed at the nodes of the WSN. Our results show that it is possible to adapt the carried traffic to the network capacity, even under stressing conditions. Also, the network performance shows a smooth degradation when the traffic goes beyond a threshold which is settled by the proposed self-organized control. In contrast, without any control, the network collapses before this threshold. The use of the proposed solution provides an effective strategy to address some of the common problems found in WSN deployment by providing a fair packet delivery. In addition, the network congestion is mitigated using adaptive traffic mechanisms based on a satisfaction parameter assessed by each packet which has impact on the global satisfaction of the traffic carried by the WSN.

Reducing Traffic Congestion: Using Market Prices to Enhance Mobility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

This is the Department of Transportation's 1997 biennial report on the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program, as required by Section 1012(b) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, P.L. 102-240. The report highlights the significa...

Using detector data to identify and examine crashes and incidents on freeways.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

Traffic incidents, such as crashes and vehicular breakdowns, result in reductions in roadway capacity and : are the primary cause of non-recurrent congestion in urban areas. In addition to contributing to : congestion and delay, incidents adversely a...

Using detector data to identify and examine crashes and incidents on freeways

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

Traffic incidents, such as crashes and vehicular breakdowns, result in reductions in roadway capacity and are the primary cause of non-recurrent congestion in urban areas. In addition to contributing to congestion and delay, incidents adversely affec...

Agent-based real-time signal coordination in congested networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

This study is the continuation of a previous NEXTRANS study on agent-based reinforcement : learning methods for signal coordination in congested networks. In the previous study, the : formulation of a real-time agent-based traffic signal control in o...

Commuting, congestion, and pollution : the employer-paid parking connection

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-09-01

Urban areas increasingly face problems associated with traffic congestion and vehicle air emissions. Employer-paid parking--a form of matching grant whereby an employer offers to pay the cost of parking if employees are willing to pay all other costs...

Using pricing to reduce traffic congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

Highway congestion occurs when a vehicle causes delay to other vehicles on the road, resulting in longer and less reliable travel times, the use of additional fuel, and other costs to the economy. According to one widely cited study, in 2005 highway ...

2004-2006 Puget Sound Traffic Choices Study | Transportation Secure Data

Science.gov Websites

Center | NREL 04-2006 Puget Sound Traffic Choices Study 2004-2006 Puget Sound Traffic Choices Study The 2004-2006 Puget Sound Traffic Choices Study tested the hypothesis that time-of-day variable Administration for a pilot project on congestion-based tolling. Methodology To test the hypothesis, the study

23 CFR 500.101 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... safety (SMS), traffic congestion (CMS), public transportation facilities and equipment (PTMS), and..., and implementation of a traffic monitoring system for highways and public transportation facilities... HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT...

Feasibility of lane closures using probe data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

To develop an adequate traffic operations management and congestion mitigation plan for every roadway : maintenance and construction project requiring lane closures, transportation agencies need accurate and : reliable estimates of traffic impacts as...

Glass-like dynamics in confined and congested ant traffic.

PubMed

Gravish, Nick; Gold, Gregory; Zangwill, Andrew; Goodisman, Michael A D; Goldman, Daniel I

2015-09-07

The collective movement of animal groups often occurs in confined spaces. As animal groups are challenged to move at high density, their mobility dynamics may resemble the flow of densely packed non-living soft materials such as colloids, grains, or polymers. However, unlike inert soft-materials, self-propelled collective living systems often display social interactions whose influence on collective mobility are only now being explored. In this paper, we study the mobility of bi-directional traffic flow in a social insect (the fire ant Solenopsis invicta) as we vary the diameter of confining foraging tunnels. In all tunnel diameters, we observe the emergence of spatially heterogeneous regions of fast and slow traffic that are induced through two phenomena: physical obstruction, arising from the inability of individual ants to interpenetrate, and time-delay resulting from social interaction in which ants stop to briefly antennate. Density correlation functions reveal that the relaxation dynamics of high density traffic fluctuations scale linearly with fluctuation size and are sensitive to tunnel diameter. We separate the roles of physical obstruction and social interactions in traffic flow using cellular automata based simulation. Social interaction between ants is modeled as a dwell time (Tint) over which interacting ants remain stationary in the tunnel. Investigation over a range of densities and Tint reveals that the slowing dynamics of collective motion in social living systems are consistent with dynamics near a fragile glass transition in inert soft-matter systems. In particular, flow is relatively insensitive to density until a critical density is reached. As social interaction affinity is increased (increasing Tint) traffic dynamics change and resemble a strong glass transition. Thus, social interactions play an important role in the mobility of collective living systems at high density. Our experiments and model demonstrate that the concepts of soft-matter physics aid understanding of the mobility of collective living systems, and motivate further inquiry into the dynamics of densely confined social living systems.

14 CFR 93.31 - Minimum usage requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... operating Carrier used for air traffic control communications, scheduled time of operation, origin airport...) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES SPECIAL AIR TRAFFIC RULES Congestion and Delay Reduction at... shall identify any Common Ownership or control of, by, or with any other carrier. A senior official of...

14 CFR 93.31 - Minimum usage requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... operating Carrier used for air traffic control communications, scheduled time of operation, origin airport...) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES SPECIAL AIR TRAFFIC RULES Congestion and Delay Reduction at... shall identify any Common Ownership or control of, by, or with any other carrier. A senior official of...

Application of the stochastic optimization method in optimizing traffic signal control settings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

Traffic congestion has greatly affected not only the nation's economy and environment but also every citizen's quality of life. A recent study shows that every American traveler spent an extra 38 hours and 26 gallons of fuel per year due to traffic c...

In-Vehicle Safety Advisory And Warning System (Ivsaws), Volume Iii: Appendices A Through H (Reference Materials)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-05-01

It has been estimated that 57 percent of the nation?s traffic congestion is due to crashes and other incidents. Organized traffic incident management is the primary tool in mitigating the impact. Traffic incident management involves multi-agency, mul...

An evolutionary outlook of air traffic flow management techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kistan, Trevor; Gardi, Alessandro; Sabatini, Roberto; Ramasamy, Subramanian; Batuwangala, Eranga

2017-01-01

In recent years Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) has become pertinent even in regions without sustained overload conditions caused by dense traffic operations. Increasing traffic volumes in the face of constrained resources has created peak congestion at specific locations and times in many areas of the world. Increased environmental awareness and economic drivers have combined to create a resurgent interest in ATFM as evidenced by a spate of recent ATFM conferences and workshops mediated by official bodies such as ICAO, IATA, CANSO the FAA and Eurocontrol. Significant ATFM acquisitions in the last 5 years include South Africa, Australia and India. Singapore, Thailand and Korea are all expected to procure ATFM systems within a year while China is expected to develop a bespoke system. Asia-Pacific nations are particularly pro-active given the traffic growth projections for the region (by 2050 half of all air traffic will be to, from or within the Asia-Pacific region). National authorities now have access to recently published international standards to guide the development of national and regional operational concepts for ATFM, geared to Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management and Avionics (CNS+A) evolutions. This paper critically reviews the field to determine which ATFM research and development efforts hold the best promise for practical technological implementations, offering clear benefits both in terms of enhanced safety and efficiency in times of growing air traffic. An evolutionary approach is adopted starting from an ontology of current ATFM techniques and proceeding to identify the technological and regulatory evolutions required in the future CNS+A context, as the aviation industry moves forward with a clearer understanding of emerging operational needs, the geo-political realities of regional collaboration and the impending needs of global harmonisation.

Improving pedestrian facilities in congested urban areas: a case study of Chennai city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanyam, B.; Prasanna Kumar, R.

2017-07-01

Traffic congestion and lack of public pedestrian space are some problems faced by most urban metropolises. Conventionally walking has been a mode of transportation in Indian cities. The percentage of pedestrians may vary from 16 to 57 depending upon the city. Encounters between vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic are at its rise currently. Rapid industrialization and urbanization in India has resulted in neglecting of pedestrian facilities. Consequently pedestrian are at greater risk for their safety more especially in the commercial zones of large cities. A change in perspective spotlight will create a sense of awareness that the pedestrian traffic is also vital as the vehicular traffic. Soothing the traffic would moderately cut the driving expediency but the pedestrians will get a much safer and peaceful route to their terminuses. Safety and comfort are the two pans of a balance while considering the pedestrian traffic. Considering these aspects, this study deals a study in improving pedestrian facilities by analysing the existing skeleton of the selected locations. The adequacy of facility is checked based on IRC latest guidelines and counteractive measures are postulated.

Dynamic traffic assignment : genetic algorithms approach

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Real-time route guidance is a promising approach to alleviating congestion on the nations highways. A dynamic traffic assignment model is central to the development of guidance strategies. The artificial intelligence technique of genetic algorithm...

Improved efficient routing strategy on two-layer complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jinlong; Han, Weizhan; Guo, Qing; Zhang, Shuai; Wang, Junfang; Wang, Zhihao

2016-10-01

The traffic dynamics of multi-layer networks has become a hot research topic since many networks are comprised of two or more layers of subnetworks. Due to its low traffic capacity, the traditional shortest path routing (SPR) protocol is susceptible to congestion on two-layer complex networks. In this paper, we propose an efficient routing strategy named improved global awareness routing (IGAR) strategy which is based on the betweenness centrality of nodes in the two layers. With the proposed strategy, the routing paths can bypass hub nodes of both layers to enhance the transport efficiency. Simulation results show that the IGAR strategy can bring much better traffic capacity than the SPR and the global awareness routing (GAR) strategies. Because of the significantly improved traffic performance, this study is helpful to alleviate congestion of the two-layer complex networks.

Forearm vasodilatation following release of venous congestion

PubMed Central

Caro, C. G.; Foley, T. H.; Sudlow, M. F.

1970-01-01

1. The volume rate of forearm blood flow was measured with a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge, or with a water-filled plethysmograph, from 1 sec after termination of a 2-3 min period of venous congestion. 2. When congesting pressure had been less than 18 mm Hg, average post-congestion flow (five subjects) was constant during approx. 10 sec and not significantly different from resting flow. 3. When congesting pressure had been 30 mm Hg, average post-congestion flow (eight subjects) was 26% higher than resting, during 3-4 sec after release of congestion, but rose to 273% of resting during 4-6 sec after release of congestion. 4. In other studies forearm vascular resistance had been found normal or increased during such venous congestion, and theoretical studies here indicated that passive mechanical factors could not account for the delayed occurrence of high post-congestion flow. 5. It appears, therefore, that the forearm vascular bed dilates actively shortly after release of substantial venous congestion. It would seem more likely that a myogenic mechanism, rather than a metabolic one, is responsible. PMID:5532541

Two Phase Admission Control for QoS Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chien-Sheng; Su, Yi-Wen; Liu, Wen-Hsiung; Chi, Ching-Lung

In this paper a novel and effective two phase admission control (TPAC) for QoS mobile ad hoc networks is proposed that satisfies the real-time traffic requirements in mobile ad hoc networks. With a limited amount of extra overhead, TPAC can avoid network congestions by a simple and precise admission control which blocks most of the overloading flow-requests in the route discovery process. When compared with previous QoS routing schemes such as QoS-aware routing protocol and CACP protocols, it is shown from system simulations that the proposed scheme can increase the system throughput and reduce both the dropping rate and the end-to-end delay. Therefore, TPAC is surely an effective QoS-guarantee protocol to provide for real-time traffic.

Integration of the incident command system (ICS) protocol for effective coordination of multi-agency response to traffic incidents : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-13

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on Traffic Incident Management (TIM) and : incorporation of the Incident Command System (ICS) to reduce traffic congestion on the nation's : Interstates. In fact, studies show that for every minute a...

77 FR 21890 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Sturgeon Bay, WI

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-12

... Street and Maple-Oregon Bridges so vehicular traffic congestion would not develop on downtown Sturgeon... the efficient movement of vehicular traffic in Sturgeon Bay. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal is... experiences a significant increase in vehicular and vessel traffic during the peak tourist and navigation...

Public Acceptance and User Response to ATIS Products and Services: The Use of Travel Simulators to Investigate the Response to Traffic Information

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-01

Increasing attention has been paid in recent years to the use of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) for alleviating traffic congestion. Understanding user response to traffic, transit, and parking information is important both for designing...

Curbing gridlock: Peak-period fees to relieve traffic congestion. Volume 2. Commissioned papers. Special report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1994-01-01

;Contents: Volume 2: Commissioned Papers: Congestion Trends in Metropolitan Areas; Alternative Methods for Measuring Congestion Levels; Potential of Congestion Pricing in the Metropolitan Washington Region; Transportation Pricing and Travel Behavior; Peak Pricing Strategies in Transportation, Utilities, and Telecommunications: Lessons for Road Pricing; Cashing Out Employer-Paid Parking: A Precedent for Congestion Pricing; The New York Region: First in Tolls, Last in Road Pricing; Pricing Urban Roadways: Administrative and Institutional Issues; Equity and Fairness Considerations of Congestion Pricing; The Politics of Congestion Pricing; Institutional and Political Challenges in Implementing Congestion Pricing: Case Study of the San Francisco Bay Area; How Congestion Pricingmore » Came to Be Proposed in the San Diego Region: A Case History; Urban Transportation Congestion Pricing: Effects on Urban Form; Congestion Pricing and Motor Vehicle Emissions: An Initial Review; Private Toll Roads: Acceptability of Congestion Pricing in Southern California; Potential of Next-Generation Technology; Electronic Toll Collection Systems; and Impacts of Congestion Pricing on Transit and Carpool Demand and Supply.« less

Cloud-based large-scale air traffic flow optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Yi

The ever-increasing traffic demand makes the efficient use of airspace an imperative mission, and this paper presents an effort in response to this call. Firstly, a new aggregate model, called Link Transmission Model (LTM), is proposed, which models the nationwide traffic as a network of flight routes identified by origin-destination pairs. The traversal time of a flight route is assumed to be the mode of distribution of historical flight records, and the mode is estimated by using Kernel Density Estimation. As this simplification abstracts away physical trajectory details, the complexity of modeling is drastically decreased, resulting in efficient traffic forecasting. The predicative capability of LTM is validated against recorded traffic data. Secondly, a nationwide traffic flow optimization problem with airport and en route capacity constraints is formulated based on LTM. The optimization problem aims at alleviating traffic congestions with minimal global delays. This problem is intractable due to millions of variables. A dual decomposition method is applied to decompose the large-scale problem such that the subproblems are solvable. However, the whole problem is still computational expensive to solve since each subproblem is an smaller integer programming problem that pursues integer solutions. Solving an integer programing problem is known to be far more time-consuming than solving its linear relaxation. In addition, sequential execution on a standalone computer leads to linear runtime increase when the problem size increases. To address the computational efficiency problem, a parallel computing framework is designed which accommodates concurrent executions via multithreading programming. The multithreaded version is compared with its monolithic version to show decreased runtime. Finally, an open-source cloud computing framework, Hadoop MapReduce, is employed for better scalability and reliability. This framework is an "off-the-shelf" parallel computing model that can be used for both offline historical traffic data analysis and online traffic flow optimization. It provides an efficient and robust platform for easy deployment and implementation. A small cloud consisting of five workstations was configured and used to demonstrate the advantages of cloud computing in dealing with large-scale parallelizable traffic problems.

Data link airline benefits study : national sector survey

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-05-11

Survey information includes interviews with Traffic Management Unit managers or : representatives from 19 air route traffic control centers across the nation : experiencing volume satuation and frequency congestion on a regular basis and : require as...

Effects of heavy vehicles on dynamic traffic features.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-02-01

Traffic congestion on highways has been growing in urban areas where freight transportation hubs reside, affecting the efficiency and reliability of freight transportation. This research will investigate the effects of heavy vehicles on dynamic traff...

Topics on data transmission problem in software definition network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Wei; Liang, Li; Xu, Tianwei; Gan, Jianhou

2017-08-01

In normal computer networks, the data transmission between two sites go through the shortest path between two corresponding vertices. However, in the setting of software definition network (SDN), it should monitor the network traffic flow in each site and channel timely, and the data transmission path between two sites in SDN should consider the congestion in current networks. Hence, the difference of available data transmission theory between normal computer network and software definition network is that we should consider the prohibit graph structures in SDN, and these forbidden subgraphs represent the sites and channels in which data can't be passed by the serious congestion. Inspired by theoretical analysis of an available data transmission in SDN, we consider some computational problems from the perspective of the graph theory. Several results determined in the paper imply the sufficient conditions of data transmission in SDN in the various graph settings.

Temporal variation of traffic on highways and the development of accurate temporal allocation factors for air pollution analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batterman, Stuart; Cook, Richard; Justin, Thomas

2015-04-01

Traffic activity encompasses the number, mix, speed and acceleration of vehicles on roadways. The temporal pattern and variation of traffic activity reflects vehicle use, congestion and safety issues, and it represents a major influence on emissions and concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants. Accurate characterization of vehicle flows is critical in analyzing and modeling urban and local-scale pollutants, especially in near-road environments and traffic corridors. This study describes methods to improve the characterization of temporal variation of traffic activity. Annual, monthly, daily and hourly temporal allocation factors (TAFs), which describe the expected temporal variation in traffic activity, were developed using four years of hourly traffic activity data recorded at 14 continuous counting stations across the Detroit, Michigan, U.S. region. Five sites also provided vehicle classification. TAF-based models provide a simple means to apportion annual average estimates of traffic volume to hourly estimates. The analysis shows the need to separate TAFs for total and commercial vehicles, and weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and observed holidays. Using either site-specific or urban-wide TAFs, nearly all of the variation in historical traffic activity at the street scale could be explained; unexplained variation was attributed to adverse weather, traffic accidents and construction. The methods and results presented in this paper can improve air quality dispersion modeling of mobile sources, and can be used to evaluate and model temporal variation in ambient air quality monitoring data and exposure estimates.

Temporal variation of traffic on highways and the development of accurate temporal allocation factors for air pollution analyses

PubMed Central

Batterman, Stuart; Cook, Richard; Justin, Thomas

2015-01-01

Traffic activity encompasses the number, mix, speed and acceleration of vehicles on roadways. The temporal pattern and variation of traffic activity reflects vehicle use, congestion and safety issues, and it represents a major influence on emissions and concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants. Accurate characterization of vehicle flows is critical in analyzing and modeling urban and local-scale pollutants, especially in near-road environments and traffic corridors. This study describes methods to improve the characterization of temporal variation of traffic activity. Annual, monthly, daily and hourly temporal allocation factors (TAFs), which describe the expected temporal variation in traffic activity, were developed using four years of hourly traffic activity data recorded at 14 continuous counting stations across the Detroit, Michigan, U.S. region. Five sites also provided vehicle classification. TAF-based models provide a simple means to apportion annual average estimates of traffic volume to hourly estimates. The analysis shows the need to separate TAFs for total and commercial vehicles, and weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and observed holidays. Using either site-specific or urban-wide TAFs, nearly all of the variation in historical traffic activity at the street scale could be explained; unexplained variation was attributed to adverse weather, traffic accidents and construction. The methods and results presented in this paper can improve air quality dispersion modeling of mobile sources, and can be used to evaluate and model temporal variation in ambient air quality monitoring data and exposure estimates. PMID:25844042

An extended car-following model to describe connected traffic dynamics under cyberattacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pengcheng; Yu, Guizhen; Wu, Xinkai; Qin, Hongmao; Wang, Yunpeng

2018-04-01

In this paper, the impacts of the potential cyberattacks on vehicles are modeled through an extended car-following model. To better understand the mechanism of traffic disturbance under cyberattacks, the linear and nonlinear stability analysis are conducted respectively. Particularly, linear stability analysis is performed to obtain different neutral stability conditions with various parameters; and nonlinear stability analysis is carried out by using reductive perturbation method to derive the soliton solution of the modified Korteweg de Vries equation (mKdV) near the critical point, which is used to draw coexisting stability lines. Furthermore, by applying linear and nonlinear stability analysis, traffic flow state can be divided into three states, i.e., stable, metastable and unstable states which are useful to describe shockwave dynamics and driving behaviors under cyberattacks. The theoretical results show that the proposed car-following model is capable of successfully describing the car-following behavior of connected vehicles with cyberattacks. Finally, numerical simulation using real values has confirmed the validity of theoretical analysis. The results further demonstrate our model can be used to help avoid collisions and relieve traffic congestion with cybersecurity threats.

Understanding congestion context and a tool to help choose the right mitigation strategies : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

Cities of every size (and even some rural areas) face growing traffic delays, increasing travel time variability, and overall longer trip times, which makes traveling more frustrating and difficult for everyone. Many congestion solutions focus on a s...

The impact of truck repositioning on congestion and pollution in the LA basin.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

Pollution and congestion caused by port related truck traffic is usually estimated based on careful transportation modeling and simulation. In these efforts, however, attention is normally focused on trucks on their way from a terminal at the Los Ang...

Analysis of traffic congestion induced by the work zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, L.; Zhu, H. B.; Han, X. L.

2016-05-01

Based on the cellular automata model, a meticulous two-lane cellular automata model is proposed, in which the driving behavior difference and the difference of vehicles' accelerations between the moving state and the starting state are taken into account. Furthermore the vehicles' motion is refined by using the small cell of one meter long. Then accompanied by coming up with a traffic management measure, a two-lane highway traffic model containing a work zone is presented, in which the road is divided into normal area, merging area and work zone. The vehicles in different areas move forward according to different lane changing rules and position updating rules. After simulation it is found that when the density is small the cluster length in front of the work zone increases with the decrease of the merging probability. Then the suitable merging length and the appropriate speed limit value are recommended. The simulation result in the form of the speed-flow diagram is in good agreement with the empirical data. It indicates that the presented model is efficient and can partially reflect the real traffic. The results may be meaningful for traffic optimization and road construction management.

Connected vehicle enabled freeway merge management - field test.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

Freeway congestion is a major problem of the transportation system, resulting in major economic : loss in terms of traffic delays and fuel costs. With connected vehicle (CV) technologies, more : proactive traffic management strategies are possible. T...

77 FR 44140 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Sturgeon Bay, WI

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-27

... Maple-Oregon Bridges so vehicular traffic congestion would not develop on downtown Sturgeon Bay streets... movement of vehicular traffic in Sturgeon Bay. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal is approximately 8.6 miles long... significant increase in vehicular and vessel traffic during the peak tourist and navigation season between...

APPLICATION OF TRAVEL TIME RELIABILITY FOR PERFORMANCE ORIENTED OPERATIONAL PLANNING OF EXPRESSWAYS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehran, Babak; Nakamura, Hideki

Evaluation of impacts of congestion improvement scheme s on travel time reliability is very significant for road authorities since travel time reliability repr esents operational performance of expressway segments. In this paper, a methodology is presented to estimate travel tim e reliability prior to implementation of congestion relief schemes based on travel time variation modeling as a function of demand, capacity, weather conditions and road accident s. For subject expressway segmen ts, traffic conditions are modeled over a whole year considering demand and capacity as random variables. Patterns of demand and capacity are generated for each five minute interval by appl ying Monte-Carlo simulation technique, and accidents are randomly generated based on a model that links acci dent rate to traffic conditions. A whole year analysis is performed by comparing de mand and available capacity for each scenario and queue length is estimated through shockwave analysis for each time in terval. Travel times are estimated from refined speed-flow relationships developed for intercity expressways and buffer time index is estimated consequently as a measure of travel time reliability. For validation, estimated reliability indices are compared with measured values from empirical data, and it is shown that the proposed method is suitable for operational evaluation and planning purposes.

Urban emissions hotspots: Quantifying vehicle congestion and air pollution using mobile phone GPS data.

PubMed

Gately, Conor K; Hutyra, Lucy R; Peterson, Scott; Sue Wing, Ian

2017-10-01

On-road emissions vary widely on time scales as short as minutes and length scales as short as tens of meters. Detailed data on emissions at these scales are a prerequisite to accurately quantifying ambient pollution concentrations and identifying hotspots of human exposure within urban areas. We construct a highly resolved inventory of hourly fluxes of CO, NO 2 , NO x , PM 2.5 and CO 2 from road vehicles on 280,000 road segments in eastern Massachusetts for the year 2012. Our inventory integrates a large database of hourly vehicle speeds derived from mobile phone and vehicle GPS data with multiple regional datasets of vehicle flows, fleet characteristics, and local meteorology. We quantify the 'excess' emissions from traffic congestion, finding modest congestion enhancement (3-6%) at regional scales, but hundreds of local hotspots with highly elevated annual emissions (up to 75% for individual roadways in key corridors). Congestion-driven reductions in vehicle fuel economy necessitated 'excess' consumption of 113 million gallons of motor fuel, worth ∼ $415M, but this accounted for only 3.5% of the total fuel consumed in Massachusetts, as over 80% of vehicle travel occurs in uncongested conditions. Across our study domain, emissions are highly spatially concentrated, with 70% of pollution originating from only 10% of the roads. The 2011 EPA National Emissions Inventory (NEI) understates our aggregate emissions of NO x , PM 2.5 , and CO 2 by 46%, 38%, and 18%, respectively. However, CO emissions agree within 5% for the two inventories, suggesting that the large biases in NO x and PM 2.5 emissions arise from differences in estimates of diesel vehicle activity. By providing fine-scale information on local emission hotspots and regional emissions patterns, our inventory framework supports targeted traffic interventions, transparent benchmarking, and improvements in overall urban air quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coordinated traffic incident management using the I-Net embedded sensor architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudziak, Martin J.

1999-01-01

The I-Net intelligent embedded sensor architecture enables the reconfigurable construction of wide-area remote sensing and data collection networks employing diverse processing and data acquisition modules communicating over thin- server/thin-client protocols. Adaptive initially for operation using mobile remotely-piloted vehicle platforms such as small helicopter robots such as the Hornet and Ascend-I, the I-Net architecture lends itself to a critical problem in the management of both spontaneous and planned traffic congestion and rerouting over major interstate thoroughfares such as the I-95 Corridor. Pre-programmed flight plans and ad hoc operator-assisted navigation of the lightweight helicopter, using an auto-pilot and gyroscopic stabilization augmentation units, allows daytime or nighttime over-the-horizon flights of the unit to collect and transmit real-time video imagery that may be stored or transmitted to other locations. With on-board GPS and ground-based pattern recognition capabilities to augment the standard video collection process, this approach enables traffic management and emergency response teams to plan and assist real-time in the adjustment of traffic flows in high- density or congested areas or during dangerous road conditions such as during ice, snow, and hurricane storms. The I-Net architecture allows for integration of land-based and roadside sensors within a comprehensive automated traffic management system with communications to and form an airborne or other platform to devices in the network other than human-operated desktop computers, thereby allowing more rapid assimilation and response for critical data. Experiments have been conducted using several modified platforms and standard video and still photographic equipment. Current research and development is focused upon modification of the modular instrumentation units in order to accommodate faster loading and reloading of equipment onto the RPV, extension of the I-Net architecture to enable RPV-to-RPV signaling and control, and refinement of safety and emergency mechanisms to handle RPV mechanical failure during flight.

Near-roadway monitoring of vehicle emissions as a function of mode of operation for light-duty vehicles.

PubMed

Wen, Dongqi; Zhai, Wenjuan; Xiang, Sheng; Hu, Zhice; Wei, Tongchuan; Noll, Kenneth E

2017-11-01

Determination of the effect of vehicle emissions on air quality near roadways is important because vehicles are a major source of air pollution. A near-roadway monitoring program was undertaken in Chicago between August 4 and October 30, 2014, to measure ultrafine particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, traffic volume and speed, and wind direction and speed. The objective of this study was to develop a method to relate short-term changes in traffic mode of operation to air quality near roadways using data averaged over 5-min intervals to provide a better understanding of the processes controlling air pollution concentrations near roadways. Three different types of data analysis are provided to demonstrate the type of results that can be obtained from a near-roadway sampling program based on 5-min measurements: (1) development of vehicle emission factors (EFs) for ultrafine particles as a function of vehicle mode of operation, (2) comparison of measured and modeled CO 2 concentrations, and (3) application of dispersion models to determine concentrations near roadways. EFs for ultrafine particles are developed that are a function of traffic volume and mode of operation (free flow and congestion) for light-duty vehicles (LDVs) under real-world conditions. Two air quality models-CALINE4 (California Line Source Dispersion Model, version 4) and AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model)-are used to predict the ultrafine particulate concentrations near roadways for comparison with measured concentrations. When using CALINE4 to predict air quality levels in the mixing cell, changes in surface roughness and stability class have no effect on the predicted concentrations. However, when using AERMOD to predict air quality in the mixing cell, changes in surface roughness have a significant impact on the predicted concentrations. The paper provides emission factors (EFs) that are a function of traffic volume and mode of operation (free flow and congestion) for LDVs under real-world conditions. The good agreement between monitoring and modeling results indicates that high-resolution, simultaneous measurements of air quality and meteorological and traffic conditions can be used to determine real-world, fleet-wide vehicle EFs as a function of vehicle mode of operation under actual driving conditions.

Design and Implementation of Real-Time Vehicular Camera for Driver Assistance and Traffic Congestion Estimation

PubMed Central

Son, Sanghyun; Baek, Yunju

2015-01-01

As society has developed, the number of vehicles has increased and road conditions have become complicated, increasing the risk of crashes. Therefore, a service that provides safe vehicle control and various types of information to the driver is urgently needed. In this study, we designed and implemented a real-time traffic information system and a smart camera device for smart driver assistance systems. We selected a commercial device for the smart driver assistance systems, and applied a computer vision algorithm to perform image recognition. For application to the dynamic region of interest, dynamic frame skip methods were implemented to perform parallel processing in order to enable real-time operation. In addition, we designed and implemented a model to estimate congestion by analyzing traffic information. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using images of a real road environment. We found that the processing time improved by 15.4 times when all the proposed methods were applied in the application. Further, we found experimentally that there was little or no change in the recognition accuracy when the proposed method was applied. Using the traffic congestion estimation model, we also found that the average error rate of the proposed model was 5.3%. PMID:26295230

Design and Implementation of Real-Time Vehicular Camera for Driver Assistance and Traffic Congestion Estimation.

PubMed

Son, Sanghyun; Baek, Yunju

2015-08-18

As society has developed, the number of vehicles has increased and road conditions have become complicated, increasing the risk of crashes. Therefore, a service that provides safe vehicle control and various types of information to the driver is urgently needed. In this study, we designed and implemented a real-time traffic information system and a smart camera device for smart driver assistance systems. We selected a commercial device for the smart driver assistance systems, and applied a computer vision algorithm to perform image recognition. For application to the dynamic region of interest, dynamic frame skip methods were implemented to perform parallel processing in order to enable real-time operation. In addition, we designed and implemented a model to estimate congestion by analyzing traffic information. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using images of a real road environment. We found that the processing time improved by 15.4 times when all the proposed methods were applied in the application. Further, we found experimentally that there was little or no change in the recognition accuracy when the proposed method was applied. Using the traffic congestion estimation model, we also found that the average error rate of the proposed model was 5.3%.

Using microsimulation to evaluate the effects of advanced vehicle technologies on congestion.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-30

Advanced driver assistance technologies are continuously being developed to enhance traffic : safety. Evaluations of such technologies typically focus on safety and there has been limited : research on the impacts of such technologies on traffic oper...

Using Microsimulation to Evaluate the Effects of Advanced Vehicle Technologies on Congestion

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-30

Advanced driver assistance technologies are continuously being developed to enhance traffic safety. Evaluations of such technologies typically focus on safety and there has been limited research on the impacts of such technologies on traffic operatio...

Agent-based traffic management and reinforcement learning in congested intersection network.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-08-01

This study evaluates the performance of traffic control systems based on reinforcement learning (RL), also called approximate dynamic programming (ADP). Two algorithms have been selected for testing: 1) Q-learning and 2) approximate dynamic programmi...

Performance evaluation of roundabouts for traffic delay and crash reductions in Oxford, MS.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-30

Due to increased traffic volume, congestion, and capacity limitations, two roundabouts have been constructed on South Lamar : Boulevard ramp intersections with MS Highway 6 in Oxford, MS. Roundabouts replaced the existing signalized intersection : on...

The use of weather data to predict non-recurring traffic congestion

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-08-01

This project will demonstrate the quantitative relationship between weather patterns and surface traffic conditions. The aviation and maritime industries use weather measurements and predictions as a normal part of operations, and this can be extende...

Application of dynamic traffic assignment to advanced managed lane modeling : [technical summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

Transportation agencies realize that, often, adding : lanes is not a feasible or effective solution for : increases in traffic congestion. So, agencies have : applied advanced strategies to better use existing : capacity. One such strategy, managed l...

Alternative approaches to condition monitoring in freeway management systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

In response to growing concerns over traffic congestion, traffic management systems have been built in large urban areas in an effort to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation network. This research effort developed an automated cond...

Video Traffic Analysis for Abnormal Event Detection

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

We propose the use of video imaging sensors for the detection and classification of abnormal events to be used primarily for mitigation of traffic congestion. Successful detection of such events will allow for new road guidelines; for rapid deploymen...

Video traffic analysis for abnormal event detection.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

We propose the use of video imaging sensors for the detection and classification of abnormal events to : be used primarily for mitigation of traffic congestion. Successful detection of such events will allow for : new road guidelines; for rapid deplo...

A self-adaptive toll rate algorithm for high occupancy toll (HOT) lane operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

Dramatically increasing travel demands and insufficient traffic facility supplies have resulted in severe : traffic congestion. High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane operations have been proposed as one of the most : applicable and cost-effective countermea...

Legal constraints to the research, development, and deployment of IVHS technology in the United States

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-03-31

Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) are a diffuse : collection of automotive, communications, controls, traffic : management, and systems technologies that hold the potential to : improve highway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and improve ...

Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight (TS&W) Study. Phase 1-synthesis, working paper 6 : traffic operations and truck size and weight regulations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

This report presents the Exogenous Factors Test Plan for the national evaluation of the Los Angeles County Congestion Reduction Demonstration (LAC CRD) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstration...

Incident Management, Fast-Trac, Phase Iib Deliverables, #20. The Model Analysis Report On The Benefits Of Scats In Alleviating The Impacts Of Incidents

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

FAST-TRAC : SELECTING THE MOST APPROPRIATE TRAFFIC CONTROL STRATEGY FOR INCIDENT CONGESTION MANAGEMENT CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE EXTENT AND DURATION OF THE RESULTING CONGESTION. THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTIVENESSES OF SEVERAL CONTRO...

Using dual-phase message signs to display airline information : technical summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

Changeable Message Signs are electronic traffic signs that can be programmed to display : important messages that vary according to current roadway conditions, including the : presence of traffic congestion and accidents. CMSs can also be used to dis...

23 CFR 971.214 - Federal lands congestion management system (CMS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Traffic operational improvements; (C) Public transportation improvements; (D) ITS technologies; and (E....214 Section 971.214 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL... level at which transportation system performance is no longer acceptable due to traffic interference...

Quantifying incident-induced travel delays on freeways using traffic sensor data : phase II

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

Traffic incidents cause approximately 50 percent of freeway congestion in metropolitan areas, resulting in extra travel time and fuel cost. Quantifying incident-induced delay (IID) will help people better understand the real costs of incidents, maxim...

Simplified web-based decision support method for traffic management and work zone analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

Traffic congestion mitigation is one of the key challenges that transportation planners and operations engineers face when planning for construction and maintenance activities. There is a wide variety of approaches and methods that address work zone ...

Simplified web-based decision support method for traffic management and work zone analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

Traffic congestion mitigation is one of the key challenges that transportation planners and operations engineers face when : planning for construction and maintenance activities. There is a wide variety of approaches and methods that address work : z...

Minnesota urban partnership agreement national evaluation : traffic system data test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-17

This report presents the traffic system data test plan for the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) UPA Program. The Minnesota UPA projects focus on reducing congestion by employi...

Effects of congestion on drivers' speed choice: Assessing the mediating role of state aggressiveness based on taxi floating car data.

PubMed

Huang, Yizhe; Sun, Daniel Jian; Zhang, Li-Hui

2018-08-01

Inappropriate cruising speed, such as speeding, is one of the major contributors to the road safety, which increases both the quantitative number and severity of traffic accidents. Previous studies have indicated that traffic congestion is one of the primary causes of drivers' frustration and aggression, which may lead to inappropriate speed choice. In this study, the large taxi floating car data (FCD) was used to empirically evaluate how traffic congestion-related negative moods, defined as state aggressiveness, affected drivers' speed choice. The indirect effect of traffic delay on the cruising speed adjustment through the state aggressiveness was assessed through the mediation analysis. Furthermore, the moderated mediation analysis was performed to explore the effect of driver type, value of time, and working duration on the mediation role of state aggressiveness. The results proved that the state aggressiveness was the mediator of the relationship between travel delays and driving speed adjustment, and the mediation role was different across various driver types. As compared to the aggressive drivers, the normal drivers and the steady drivers tended to behave more aggressively after experiencing non-recurrent congestion during the early stage of the trips. When the value of time was high, steady drivers were more likely to adjust their speed choice although the effect was not statistically significant for other driver types. The validation results indicated that the speed model incorporating state aggressiveness could better predict the travel time than the traditional speed model that only considering the specific expected speed distribution. The prediction results for the manifest indicators of state aggressiveness, such as the maximum speed and the speed deviation, also demonstrated a reasonable reflection of the field data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 16928 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Miami River, Miami, FL

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-23

... necessary to determine whether possible vehicle traffic congestion during Miami Marlins home baseball games... closed to navigation for a short period prior to the start of Miami Marlins home baseball games. Tugs and... baseball games poses a safety concern and whether a brief closure will mitigate such congestion. This 90...

Coordinated pre-preemption of traffic signals to enhance railroad grade crossing safety in urban areas and estimation of train impacts to arterial travel time delay : [technical summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Rail lines present two major challenges to the : roadways they intersect: potential for collisions : and increased congestion. In addition, congestion : can contribute collision hazards when drivers are : impatient or vehicles are prevented from clea...

Intelligent transportation systems for traveler information : deployment benefits and lessons learned

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

In the 10 most congested areas of the country, each rush hour traveler pays an annual "congestion tax" of $850 to $1,600 in lost time and fuel and spends a total of almost 8 work days each year stuck in traffic. To address this costly problem, the U....

75 FR 9521 - Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, VA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... vehicular back-ups, delays, and congestion. During this test deviation, VDOT will gather data from the... patterns in hope of reducing roadway congestion on the bridge and local commuting area by adjusting bridge... evacuation highway in the event of emergencies. The monthly vehicular traffic counts submitted by VDOT for...

It Offers the Appropriate Big-Picture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schläpfer, Markus

Every week, more than 1 million people are currently being added to cities across the globe. This unprecedented trend of urbanization, together with growing concerns over energy supply and climate change, rapidly outpaces existing approaches for the planning and design of cities. A prominent warning example is Beijing's recent failure to implement a multi-centered urban form that has led to counter-intuitive people flows, immense traffic congestion, and air pollution. Thus, a new quantitative understanding of cities is urgently needed to reduce the risks of such detrimental planning outcomes and to eventually build more sustainable and more livable urban spaces...

Application of Fractal theory for crash rate prediction: Insights from random parameters and latent class tobit models.

PubMed

Chand, Sai; Dixit, Vinayak V

2018-03-01

The repercussions from congestion and accidents on major highways can have significant negative impacts on the economy and environment. It is a primary objective of transport authorities to minimize the likelihood of these phenomena taking place, to improve safety and overall network performance. In this study, we use the Hurst Exponent metric from Fractal Theory, as a congestion indicator for crash-rate modeling. We analyze one month of traffic speed data at several monitor sites along the M4 motorway in Sydney, Australia and assess congestion patterns with the Hurst Exponent of speed (H speed ). Random Parameters and Latent Class Tobit models were estimated, to examine the effect of congestion on historical crash rates, while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. Using a latent class modeling approach, the motorway sections were probabilistically classified into two segments, based on the presence of entry and exit ramps. This will allow transportation agencies to implement appropriate safety/traffic countermeasures when addressing accident hotspots or inadequately managed sections of motorway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examination of fundamental traffic characteristics and implications to ITS

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to study and analyze the essential traffic characteristics of a 5.4-mile stretch of I-64-40 located within the St. Louis metropolitan area. The freeway experiences heavy congestion during peak periods attributed to factor...

U. S. -Mexico Border: Better Planning, coordination needed to Handle Growing Commercial Traffic

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-03-01

Due to concern expressed by Congress that the United States-Mexico border area was shouldering a disproportionate share of the costs of increased trade activity between the two countries, and that congestion problems related to expanded traffic were ...

An Airway Network Flow Assignment Approach Based on an Efficient Multiobjective Optimization Framework

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xuejun; Lei, Jiaxing

2015-01-01

Considering reducing the airspace congestion and the flight delay simultaneously, this paper formulates the airway network flow assignment (ANFA) problem as a multiobjective optimization model and presents a new multiobjective optimization framework to solve it. Firstly, an effective multi-island parallel evolution algorithm with multiple evolution populations is employed to improve the optimization capability. Secondly, the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II is applied for each population. In addition, a cooperative coevolution algorithm is adapted to divide the ANFA problem into several low-dimensional biobjective optimization problems which are easier to deal with. Finally, in order to maintain the diversity of solutions and to avoid prematurity, a dynamic adjustment operator based on solution congestion degree is specifically designed for the ANFA problem. Simulation results using the real traffic data from China air route network and daily flight plans demonstrate that the proposed approach can improve the solution quality effectively, showing superiority to the existing approaches such as the multiobjective genetic algorithm, the well-known multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition, and a cooperative coevolution multiobjective algorithm as well as other parallel evolution algorithms with different migration topology. PMID:26180840

How congestion shapes cities: from mobility patterns to scaling

PubMed Central

Louf, Rémi; Barthelemy, Marc

2014-01-01

The recent availability of data for cities has allowed scientists to exhibit scalings which present themselves in the form of a power-law dependence on population of various socio-economical and structural indicators. We propose here a stochastic theory of urban growth which accounts for some of the observed scalings and we confirm these predictions on US and OECD empirical data. In particular, we show that the dependence on population size of the total number of miles driven daily, the total length of the road network, the total traffic delay, the total consumption of gasoline, the quantity of CO2 emitted and the relation between area and population of cities, are all governed by a single parameter which characterizes the sensitivity to congestion. Our results suggest that diseconomies associated with congestion scale superlinearly with population size, implying that –despite polycentrism– cities whose transportation infrastructure rely heavily on traffic sensitive modes are unsustainable. PMID:24990624

Green supply chain: Simulating road traffic congestion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalal, Muhammad Zulqarnain Hakim Abd; Nawawi, Mohd Kamal Mohd; Laailatul Hanim Mat Desa, Wan; Khalid, Ruzelan; Khalid Abduljabbar, Waleed; Ramli, Razamin

2017-09-01

With the increasing awareness of the consumers about environmental issues, businesses, households and governments increasingly want use green products and services which lead to green supply chain. This paper discusses a simulation study of a selected road traffic system that will contribute to the air pollution if in the congestion state. Road traffic congestion (RTC) can be caused by a temporary obstruction, a permanent capacity bottleneck in the network itself, and stochastic fluctuation in demand within a particular sector of the network, leading to spillback and queue propagation. A discrete-event simulation model is developed to represent the real traffic light control (TLC) system condition during peak hours. Certain performance measures such as average waiting time and queue length were measured using the simulation model. Existing system uses pre-set cycle time to control the light changes which is fixed time cycle. In this research, we test several other combination of pre-set cycle time with the objective to find the best system. In addition, we plan to use a combination of the pre-set cycle time and a proximity sensor which have the authority to manipulate the cycle time of the lights. The sensors work in such situation when the street seems to have less occupied vehicles, obviously it may not need a normal cycle for green light, and automatically change the cycle to street where vehicle is present.

Cooperative vehicles for robust traffic congestion reduction: An analysis based on algorithmic, environmental and agent behavioral factors

PubMed Central

Desai, Prajakta; Desai, Aniruddha

2017-01-01

Traffic congestion continues to be a persistent problem throughout the world. As vehicle-to-vehicle communication develops, there is an opportunity of using cooperation among close proximity vehicles to tackle the congestion problem. The intuition is that if vehicles could cooperate opportunistically when they come close enough to each other, they could, in effect, spread themselves out among alternative routes so that vehicles do not all jam up on the same roads. Our previous work proposed a decentralized multiagent based vehicular congestion management algorithm entitled Congestion Avoidance and Route Allocation using Virtual Agent Negotiation (CARAVAN), wherein the vehicles acting as intelligent agents perform cooperative route allocation using inter-vehicular communication. This paper focuses on evaluating the practical applicability of this approach by testing its robustness and performance (in terms of travel time reduction), across variations in: (a) environmental parameters such as road network topology and configuration; (b) algorithmic parameters such as vehicle agent preferences and route cost/preference multipliers; and (c) agent-related parameters such as equipped/non-equipped vehicles and compliant/non-compliant agents. Overall, the results demonstrate the adaptability and robustness of the decentralized cooperative vehicles approach to providing global travel time reduction using simple local coordination strategies. PMID:28792513

Cooperative vehicles for robust traffic congestion reduction: An analysis based on algorithmic, environmental and agent behavioral factors.

PubMed

Desai, Prajakta; Loke, Seng W; Desai, Aniruddha

2017-01-01

Traffic congestion continues to be a persistent problem throughout the world. As vehicle-to-vehicle communication develops, there is an opportunity of using cooperation among close proximity vehicles to tackle the congestion problem. The intuition is that if vehicles could cooperate opportunistically when they come close enough to each other, they could, in effect, spread themselves out among alternative routes so that vehicles do not all jam up on the same roads. Our previous work proposed a decentralized multiagent based vehicular congestion management algorithm entitled Congestion Avoidance and Route Allocation using Virtual Agent Negotiation (CARAVAN), wherein the vehicles acting as intelligent agents perform cooperative route allocation using inter-vehicular communication. This paper focuses on evaluating the practical applicability of this approach by testing its robustness and performance (in terms of travel time reduction), across variations in: (a) environmental parameters such as road network topology and configuration; (b) algorithmic parameters such as vehicle agent preferences and route cost/preference multipliers; and (c) agent-related parameters such as equipped/non-equipped vehicles and compliant/non-compliant agents. Overall, the results demonstrate the adaptability and robustness of the decentralized cooperative vehicles approach to providing global travel time reduction using simple local coordination strategies.

Dynamic Flow Management Problems in Air Transportation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Sarah Stock

1997-01-01

In 1995, over six hundred thousand licensed pilots flew nearly thirty-five million flights into over eighteen thousand U.S. airports, logging more than 519 billion passenger miles. Since demand for air travel has increased by more than 50% in the last decade while capacity has stagnated, congestion is a problem of undeniable practical significance. In this thesis, we will develop optimization techniques that reduce the impact of congestion on the national airspace. We start by determining the optimal release times for flights into the airspace and the optimal speed adjustment while airborne taking into account the capacitated airspace. This is called the Air Traffic Flow Management Problem (TFMP). We address the complexity, showing that it is NP-hard. We build an integer programming formulation that is quite strong as some of the proposed inequalities are facet defining for the convex hull of solutions. For practical problems, the solutions of the LP relaxation of the TFMP are very often integral. In essence, we reduce the problem to efficiently solving large scale linear programming problems. Thus, the computation times are reasonably small for large scale, practical problems involving thousands of flights. Next, we address the problem of determining how to reroute aircraft in the airspace system when faced with dynamically changing weather conditions. This is called the Air Traffic Flow Management Rerouting Problem (TFMRP) We present an integrated mathematical programming approach for the TFMRP, which utilizes several methodologies, in order to minimize delay costs. In order to address the high dimensionality, we present an aggregate model, in which we formulate the TFMRP as a multicommodity, integer, dynamic network flow problem with certain side constraints. Using Lagrangian relaxation, we generate aggregate flows that are decomposed into a collection of flight paths using a randomized rounding heuristic. This collection of paths is used in a packing integer programming formulation, the solution of which generates feasible and near-optimal routes for individual flights. The algorithm, termed the Lagrangian Generation Algorithm, is used to solve practical problems in the southwestern portion of United States in which the solutions are within 1% of the corresponding lower bounds.

Link state relationships under incident conditions : using a CTM-based linear programming dynamic traffic assignment model.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

Urban transportation networks, consisting of numerous links and nodes, experience traffic incidents such as accidents and road : maintenance work. A typical consequence of incidents is congestion which results in long queues and causes high travel ti...

Link State Relationships Under Incident Conditions: Using a CTM-Based Linear Programming Dynamic Traffic Assignment Model

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

Urban transportation networks, consisting of numerous links and nodes, experience traffic incidents such as accidents and road maintenance work. A typical consequence of incidents is congestion which results in long queues and causes high travel time...

Improving the roadside environment through integrating air quality and traffic-related data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

Urban arterial corridors are landscapes that give rise to short and long-term : exposures to transportation-related pollution. With high traffic volumes, congestion, and : a wide mix of road users and land uses at the road edge, urban arterial enviro...

Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) Data and Sources

Science.gov Websites

|agency|4-d|gis|geographic information systems?|municipal|neighborhood|urban density|municipal |carsharing|marketing|real-time|traffic information|eco-driving|idle)$ ^(vmt|vehicle miles traveled|reduction drive|eco-driving|congestion|commute|telework|alternative work|parking|real-time|traffic information

14 CFR 93.29 - International Arrival Authorizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES SPECIAL AIR TRAFFIC RULES Congestion and Delay Reduction... marketing arrangement unless the flight was predominately marketed, by contract, under the control of another Carrier. If the flight was under the marketing control of another Carrier or the entire inventory...

Optimal signal timing design for urban street networks under user equilibrium based traffic conditions : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-09-20

In the ever-growing travel demand, traffic congestion on freeways and expressways : recurs more frequently at a higher number of locations and for longer durations with : added severity. This becomes especially true in large metropolitan areas. Parti...

Model of cyclist accident characteristics in the city of Malang and Blitar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arifin, M. Z.; Agustin, I. W.

2018-01-01

Utilization of bicycles as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation is reconcerned as the development of sustainable transportation programs. The use of bicycles in some developed countries such as the Netherlands is 27 per cent of total travel, while for developing countries such as Indonesia, cyclists are less than 1% of total travel with low educated characteristics (65 per cent) and low income (48 per cent). Cyclist reduces dependencies on petroleum and environmental pollution as well as lessen the occurrence of congestion and traffic accidents involving motor vehicles. It was necessary to know the behavior and interaction of bicycle riders with other vehicle users in a heterogeneous traffic flow. The main purpose of the research is to create a model of bicycle accidents to increase the road traffic safety in Malang city and Blitar city. The research used analyses of frequency, the road’s level of service, and multiple linear regression. The results showed that there was a need for a development basis of a special lane for bicycle. It aims to reduce the level and number of cyclist accidents and to achieve transportation safety as well as to raise public awareness in traffic safety.

Long-Term Tracking of a Specific Vehicle Using Airborne Optical Camera Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, F.; Rosenbaum, D.; Runge, H.; Cerra, D.; Mattyus, G.; Reinartz, P.

2016-06-01

In this paper we present two low cost, airborne sensor systems capable of long-term vehicle tracking. Based on the properties of the sensors, a method for automatic real-time, long-term tracking of individual vehicles is presented. This combines the detection and tracking of the vehicle in low frame rate image sequences and applies the lagged Cell Transmission Model (CTM) to handle longer tracking outages occurring in complex traffic situations, e.g. tunnels. The CTM model uses the traffic conditions in the proximities of the target vehicle and estimates its motion to predict the position where it reappears. The method is validated on an airborne image sequence acquired from a helicopter. Several reference vehicles are tracked within a range of 500m in a complex urban traffic situation. An artificial tracking outage of 240m is simulated, which is handled by the CTM. For this, all the vehicles in the close proximity are automatically detected and tracked to estimate the basic density-flow relations of the CTM model. Finally, the real and simulated trajectories of the reference vehicles in the outage are compared showing good correspondence also in congested traffic situations.

Traffic control at crossroad that cut railroad based on friendly environment: Case : Crossroads at Prof. M. Yamin road with Gaharu road in Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutauruk, Sindak

2017-09-01

The frequent congestion causes accumulation of vehicles at the intersection of roads cutting off railroads, reducing the functionality of highway services, the loss of vehicle functions as a means of transportation, waste of fuel energy, and CO2 increase in intersections. The occurrence of congestion caused by the absence of integration of traffic light controls by opening and closing the railway barrier, therefore need to be done integrated control especially during and after a while train crossing the highway. The case raised in this study is the crossroads Prof. H.M. Jalan Yamin with Gaharu road in Medan. Researchers tried to solve the problem by designing and creating a tool that would coordinate and regulate traffic lights with railroad doors, thus reducing congestion for 23 minutes, reducing fuel by as much as 60,340 liters per day, thereby reducing CO2 exhaust gases in the area. This tool uses microcontroller as its control center. This design is done with a miniature simulation, meaning it is not done in the actual situation, but the field conditions can be represented in the simulation in the form of miniature.

Latency of TCP applications over the ATM-WAN using the GFR service category

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kuo-Hsien; Siliquini, John F.; Budrikis, Zigmantas

1998-10-01

The GFR service category has been proposed for data services in ATM networks. Since users are ultimately interested in data service that provide high efficiency and low latency, it is important to study the latency performance for data traffic of the GFR service category in an ATM network. Today much of the data traffic utilizes the TCP/IP protocol suite and in this paper we study through simulation the latency of TCP applications running over a wide-area ATM network utilizing the GFR service category using a realistic TCP traffic model. From this study, we find that during congestion periods the reserved bandwidth in GFR can improve the latency performance for TCP applications. However, due to TCP 'Slow Start' data segment generation dynamics, we show that a large proportion of TCP segments are discarded under network congestion even when the reserved bandwidth is equal to the average generated rate of user data. Therefore, a user experiences worse than expected latency performance when the network is congested. In this study we also examine the effects of segment size on the latency performance of TCP applications using the GFR service category.

Effects of packet retransmission with finite packet lifetime on traffic capacity in scale-free networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhong-Yuan; Ma, Jian-Feng

Existing routing strategies such as the global dynamic routing [X. Ling, M. B. Hu, R. Jiang and Q. S. Wu, Phys. Rev. E 81, 016113 (2010)] can achieve very high traffic capacity at the cost of extremely long packet traveling delay. In many real complex networks, especially for real-time applications such as the instant communication software, extremely long packet traveling time is unacceptable. In this work, we propose to assign a finite Time-to-Live (TTL) parameter for each packet. To guarantee every packet to arrive at its destination within its TTL, we assume that a packet is retransmitted by its source once its TTL expires. We employ source routing mechanisms in the traffic model to avoid the routing-flaps induced by the global dynamic routing. We compose extensive simulations to verify our proposed mechanisms. With small TTL, the effects of packet retransmission on network traffic capacity are obvious, and the phase transition from flow free state to congested state occurs. For the purpose of reducing the computation frequency of the routing table, we employ a computing cycle Tc within which the routing table is recomputed once. The simulation results show that the traffic capacity decreases with increasing Tc. Our work provides a good insight into the understanding of effects of packet retransmission with finite packet lifetime on traffic capacity in scale-free networks.

Integrated database and analysis system for the evaluation of freeway corridors for potential ramp signaling : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Ramp signaling is the installation of traffic signals on freeway on-ramps. Studies have shown that in many locations, ramp signaling helped alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety. However, not all freeway locations are suitable for ramp sign...

Balloon-borne air traffic management (ATM) as a precursor to space-based ATM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodsky, Yuval; Rieber, Richard; Nordheim, Tom

2012-01-01

The International Space University—Balloon Air traffic control Technology Experiment (I-BATE ) has flown on board two stratospheric balloons and has tracked nearby aircraft by receiving their Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transmissions. Air traffic worldwide is facing increasing congestion. It is predicted that daily European flight volumes will more than double by 2030 compared to 2009 volumes. ADS-B is an air traffic management system being used to mitigate air traffic congestion. Each aircraft is equipped with both a GPS receiver and an ADS-B transponder. The transponder transmits an equipped aircraft's unique identifier, position, heading, and velocity once per second. The ADS-B transmissions can then be received by ground stations for use in traditional air traffic management. Airspace not monitored by these ground stations or other traditional means remains uncontrolled and poorly monitored. A constellation of space-based ADS-B receivers could close these gaps and provide global air traffic monitoring. By flying an ADS-B receiver on a stratospheric balloon, I-BATE has served as a precursor to a constellation of ADS-B-equipped Earth-orbiting satellites. From the ˜30 km balloon altitude, I-BATE tracked aircraft ranging up to 850 km. The experiment has served as a proof of concept for space-based air traffic management and supports a technology readiness level 6 of space-based ADS-B reception. I-BATE: International Space University—Balloon Air traffic control Technology Experiment.

Optimal Concentrations in Transport Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Kaare; Savage, Jessica; Kim, Wonjung; Bush, John; Holbrook, N. Michele

2013-03-01

Biological and man-made systems rely on effective transport networks for distribution of material and energy. Mass flow in these networks is determined by the flow rate and the concentration of material. While the most concentrated solution offers the greatest potential for mass flow, impedance grows with concentration and thus makes it the most difficult to transport. The concentration at which mass flow is optimal depends on specific physical and physiological properties of the system. We derive a simple model which is able to predict optimal concentrations observed in blood flows, sugar transport in plants, and nectar feeding animals. Our model predicts that the viscosity at the optimal concentration μopt =2nμ0 is an integer power of two times the viscosity of the pure carrier medium μ0. We show how the observed powers 1 <= n <= 6 agree well with theory and discuss how n depends on biological constraints imposed on the transport process. The model provides a universal framework for studying flows impeded by concentration and provides hints of how to optimize engineered flow systems, such as congestion in traffic flows.

Implementing and Simulating Dynamic Traffic Assignment with Intelligent Transportation Systems in Cube Avenue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foytik, Peter; Robinson, Mike

2010-01-01

As urban populations and traffic congestion levels increase, effective use of information and communication tools and intelligent transportation systems as becoming increasingly important in order to maximize the efficiency of transportation networks. The appropriate placement and employment of these tools within a network is critical to their effectiveness. This presentation proposes and demonstrates the use of a commercial transportation simulation tool to simulate dynamic traffic assignment and rerouting to model route modifications as a result of traffic information.

A new transport phenomenon in nanostructures: a mesoscopic analog of the Braess paradox encountered in road networks

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

The Braess paradox, known for traffic and other classical networks, lies in the fact that adding a new route to a congested network in an attempt to relieve congestion can degrade counterintuitively the overall network performance. Recently, we have extended the concept of the Braess paradox to semiconductor mesoscopic networks, whose transport properties are governed by quantum physics. In this paper, we demonstrate theoretically that, alike in classical systems, congestion plays a key role in the occurrence of a Braess paradox in mesoscopic networks. PMID:22913510

Development of operating mode distributions for different types of roadways under different congestion levels for vehicle emission assessment using MOVES.

PubMed

Qi, Yi; Padiath, Ameena; Zhao, Qun; Yu, Lei

2016-10-01

The Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) quantifies emissions as a function of vehicle modal activities. Hence, the vehicle operating mode distribution is the most vital input for running MOVES at the project level. The preparation of operating mode distributions requires significant efforts with respect to data collection and processing. This study is to develop operating mode distributions for both freeway and arterial facilities under different traffic conditions. For this purpose, in this study, we (1) collected/processed geographic information system (GIS) data, (2) developed a model of CO2 emissions and congestion from observations, (3) implemented the model to evaluate potential emission changes from a hypothetical roadway accident scenario. This study presents a framework by which practitioners can assess emission levels in the development of different strategies for traffic management and congestion mitigation. This paper prepared the primary input, that is, the operating mode ID distribution, required for running MOVES and developed models for estimating emissions for different types of roadways under different congestion levels. The results of this study will provide transportation planners or environmental analysts with the methods for qualitatively assessing the air quality impacts of different transportation operation and demand management strategies.

An optimization model for the US Air-Traffic System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulvey, J. M.

1986-01-01

A systematic approach for monitoring U.S. air traffic was developed in the context of system-wide planning and control. Towards this end, a network optimization model with nonlinear objectives was chosen as the central element in the planning/control system. The network representation was selected because: (1) it provides a comprehensive structure for depicting essential aspects of the air traffic system, (2) it can be solved efficiently for large scale problems, and (3) the design can be easily communicated to non-technical users through computer graphics. Briefly, the network planning models consider the flow of traffic through a graph as the basic structure. Nodes depict locations and time periods for either individual planes or for aggregated groups of airplanes. Arcs define variables as actual airplanes flying through space or as delays across time periods. As such, a special case of the network can be used to model the so called flow control problem. Due to the large number of interacting variables and the difficulty in subdividing the problem into relatively independent subproblems, an integrated model was designed which will depict the entire high level (above 29000 feet) jet route system for the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. As a first step in demonstrating the concept's feasibility a nonlinear risk/cost model was developed for the Indianapolis Airspace. The nonlinear network program --NLPNETG-- was employed in solving the resulting test cases. This optimization program uses the Truncated-Newton method (quadratic approximation) for determining the search direction at each iteration in the nonlinear algorithm. It was shown that aircraft could be re-routed in an optimal fashion whenever traffic congestion increased beyond an acceptable level, as measured by the nonlinear risk function.

Long-Range Emergency Preemption of Traffic Lights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachelder, Aaron

2005-01-01

A forwarding system could prove beneficial as an addition to an electronic communication-and-control system that automatically modifies the switching of traffic lights to give priority to emergency vehicles. A system to which the forwarding system could be added could be any of a variety of emergency traffic-signal-preemption systems: these include systems now used in some municipalities as well as advanced developmental systems described in several NASA Tech Briefs articles in recent years. Because of a variety of physical and design limitations, emergency traffic-signal- preemption systems now in use are often limited in range to only one intersection at a time: in a typical system, only the next, closest intersection is preempted for an emergency vehicle. Simulations of gridlock have shown that such systems offer minimal advantages and can even cause additional delays. In analogy to what happens in fluid dynamics, the forwarding system insures that flow at a given location is sustained by guaranteeing downstream flow along the predicted route (typically a main artery) and intersecting routes (typically, side streets). In simplest terms, the forwarding system starts by taking note of any preemption issued by the preemption system to which it has been added. The forwarding system predicts which other intersections could be encountered by the emergency vehicle downstream of the newly preempted intersection. The system then forwards preemption triggers to those intersections. Beyond affording a right of way for the emergency vehicle at every intersection that lies ahead along any likely route from the current position of the vehicle, the forwarding system also affords the benefit of clearing congested roads far ahead of the vehicle. In a metropolitan environment with heavy road traffic, forwarding of preemption triggers could greatly enhance the performance of a pre-existing preemption system.

Emergency automatic signalling system using time scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rayavel, P.; Surenderanath, S.; Rathnavel, P.; Prakash, G.

2018-04-01

It is difficult to handle traffic congestion and maintain roads during traffic mainly in India. As the people migrate from rural to urban and sub-urban areas, it becomes still more critical. Presently Roadways is a standout amongst the most vital transportation. At the point when a car crash happens, crisis vehicles, for example, ambulances and fire trucks must rush to the mischance scene. There emerges a situation where a portion of the crisis vehicles may cause another car crash. Therefore it becomes still more difficult for emergency vehicle to reach the destination within a predicted time. To avoid that kind of problem we have come out with an effective idea which can reduce the potential in the traffic system. The traffic system is been modified using a wireless technology and high speed micro controller to provide smooth and clear flow of traffic for ambulance to reach the destination on time. This is achieved by using RFID Tag at the ambulance and RFID Reader at the traffic system i.e., traffic signal. This mainly deals with identifying the emergency vehicle and providing a green signal to traffic signal at time of traffic jam. — By assigning priorities to various traffic movements, we can control the traffic jam. In some moments like ambulance emergency, high delegates arrive people facing lot of trouble. To overcome this problem in this paper we propose a time priority based traffic system achieved by using RFID transmitter at the emergency vehicle and RFID receiver at the traffic system i.e., traffic signal. The signal from the emergency vehicle is sent to traffic system which after detecting it sends it to microcontroller which controls the traffic signal. If any emergency vehicle is detected the system goes to emergency system mode where signal switch to green and if it is not detected normal system mode.

The impact of high-risk drivers and benefits of limiting their driving degree of freedom.

PubMed

Habtemichael, Filmon G; de Picado-Santos, Luis

2013-11-01

The perception of drivers regarding risk-taking behaviour is widely varied. High-risk drivers are the segment of drivers who are disproportionately represented in the majority of crashes. This study examines the typologies of drivers in risk-taking behaviour, the common high-risk driving errors (speeding, close following, abrupt lane-changing and impaired driving), their safety consequences and the technological (ITS) devices for their detection and correction. Limiting the driving degree of freedom of high-risk drivers is proposed and its benefits on safety as well as traffic operations are quantified using VISSIM microscopic traffic simulation at various proportions of high-risk drivers; namely, 4%, 8% and 12%. Assessment of the safety benefits was carried out by using the technique of simulated vehicle conflicts which was validated against historic crashes, and reduction in travel time was used to quantify the operational benefits. The findings imply that limiting the freedom of high-risk drivers resulted in a reduction of crashes by 12%, 21% and 27% in congested traffic conditions; 9%, 13% and 18% in lightly congested traffic conditions as well as 9%, 10% and 17% in non-congested traffic conditions for high-risk drivers in proportions of 4%, 8% and 12% respectively. Moreover, the surrogate safety measures indicated that there was a reduction in crash severity levels. The operational benefits amounted to savings of nearly 1% in travel time for all the proportions of high-risk drivers considered. The study concluded that limiting the freedom of high-risk drivers has safety and operational benefits; though there could be social, legal and institutional concerns for its practical implementation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Models for IP/MPLS routing performance: convergence, fast reroute, and QoS impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, Gagan L.

2004-09-01

We show how to model the black-holing and looping of traffic during an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) convergence event at an IP network and how to significantly improve both the convergence time and packet loss duration through IGP parameter tuning and algorithmic improvement. We also explore some congestion avoidance and congestion control algorithms that can significantly improve stability of networks in the face of occasional massive control message storms. Specifically we show the positive impacts of prioritizing Hello and Acknowledgement packets and slowing down LSA generation and retransmission generation on detecting congestion in the network. For some types of video, voice signaling and circuit emulation applications it is necessary to reduce traffic loss durations following a convergence event to below 100 ms and we explore that using Fast Reroute algorithms based on Multiprotocol Label Switching Traffic Engineering (MPLS-TE) that effectively bypasses IGP convergence. We explore the scalability of primary and backup MPLS-TE tunnels where MPLS-TE domain is in the backbone-only or edge-to-edge. We also show how much extra backbone resource is needed to support Fast Reroute and how can that be reduced by taking advantage of Constrained Shortest Path (CSPF) routing of MPLS-TE and by reserving less than 100% of primary tunnel bandwidth during Fast Reroute.

UAB UTC domain 2 : development of a dynamic traffic assignment and simulation model for incident and emergency management applications in the Birmingham Region (Aim 3a).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

Traffic congestion is a primary concern during major incident and evacuation scenarios and can create difficulties for emergency vehicles attempting to enter and exit affected areas; however, many of the dispatchers who would be responsible for direc...

Development of a dynamic traffic assignment and simulation model for incident and emergency management applications in the Birmingham region : aim 3, emergency dispatchers' survey.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

Traffic congestion is a primary concern during major incident and evacuation scenarios and can create difficulties for emergency vehicles attempting to enter and exit affected areas; however, many of the dispatchers who would be responsible for direc...

SPRINGTIME SPATIAL CONCENTRATION GRADIENTS OF NITROGEN DIOXIDE AND VOLATILE ORGANIC SPECIES IN THE EL PASO CHILDREN'S HEALTH STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Each year, over 18 million vehicles cross the international border between El Paso, TX (USA) and Ciudad Juarez (Mexico). The border traffic congestion, as well as the more typical intra-urban and interstate traffic, provide an opportunity to investigate the health effects of PM ...

Virtual Induction Loops Based on Cooperative Vehicular Communications

PubMed Central

Gramaglia, Marco; Bernardos, Carlos J.; Calderon, Maria

2013-01-01

Induction loop detectors have become the most utilized sensors in traffic management systems. The gathered traffic data is used to improve traffic efficiency (i.e., warning users about congested areas or planning new infrastructures). Despite their usefulness, their deployment and maintenance costs are expensive. Vehicular networks are an emerging technology that can support novel strategies for ubiquitous and more cost-effective traffic data gathering. In this article, we propose and evaluate VIL (Virtual Induction Loop), a simple and lightweight traffic monitoring system based on cooperative vehicular communications. The proposed solution has been experimentally evaluated through simulation using real vehicular traces. PMID:23348033

Understanding congested travel in urban areas

PubMed Central

Çolak, Serdar; Lima, Antonio; González, Marta C.

2016-01-01

Rapid urbanization and increasing demand for transportation burdens urban road infrastructures. The interplay of number of vehicles and available road capacity on their routes determines the level of congestion. Although approaches to modify demand and capacity exist, the possible limits of congestion alleviation by only modifying route choices have not been systematically studied. Here we couple the road networks of five diverse cities with the travel demand profiles in the morning peak hour obtained from billions of mobile phone traces to comprehensively analyse urban traffic. We present that a dimensionless ratio of the road supply to the travel demand explains the percentage of time lost in congestion. Finally, we examine congestion relief under a centralized routing scheme with varying levels of awareness of social good and quantify the benefits to show that moderate levels are enough to achieve significant collective travel time savings. PMID:26978719

Understanding congested travel in urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çolak, Serdar; Lima, Antonio; González, Marta C.

2016-03-01

Rapid urbanization and increasing demand for transportation burdens urban road infrastructures. The interplay of number of vehicles and available road capacity on their routes determines the level of congestion. Although approaches to modify demand and capacity exist, the possible limits of congestion alleviation by only modifying route choices have not been systematically studied. Here we couple the road networks of five diverse cities with the travel demand profiles in the morning peak hour obtained from billions of mobile phone traces to comprehensively analyse urban traffic. We present that a dimensionless ratio of the road supply to the travel demand explains the percentage of time lost in congestion. Finally, we examine congestion relief under a centralized routing scheme with varying levels of awareness of social good and quantify the benefits to show that moderate levels are enough to achieve significant collective travel time savings.

Investigating the effect of freeway congestion thresholds on decision-making inputs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

Congestion threshold is embedded in the congestion definition. Two basic approaches exist in : current practice for setting the congestion threshold. One common approach uses the free-flow or : unimpeded conditions as the congestion threshold. ...

Routing optimization in networks based on traffic gravitational field model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Longgeng; Luo, Guangchun

2017-04-01

For research on the gravitational field routing mechanism on complex networks, we further analyze the gravitational effect of paths. In this study, we introduce the concept of path confidence degree to evaluate the unblocked reliability of paths that it takes the traffic state of all nodes on the path into account from the overall. On the basis of this, we propose an improved gravitational field routing protocol considering all the nodes’ gravities on the path and the path confidence degree. In order to evaluate the transmission performance of the routing strategy, an order parameter is introduced to measure the network throughput by the critical value of phase transition from a free-flow phase to a jammed phase, and the betweenness centrality is used to evaluate the transmission performance and traffic congestion of the network. Simulation results show that compared with the shortest-path routing strategy and the previous gravitational field routing strategy, the proposed algorithm improves the network throughput considerably and effectively balances the traffic load within the network, and all nodes in the network are utilized high efficiently. As long as γ ≥ α, the transmission performance can reach the maximum and remains unchanged for different α and γ, which ensures that the proposed routing protocol is high efficient and stable.

Study on Performance of Intersection Around The Underpass Using Micro Simulation Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arliansyah, J.; Bawono, R. T.

2018-03-01

In order to overcome the problems of congestion at the major intersections in Palembang City, there have been grade separation constructions in the form of flyover or underpass. One of them is the intersection of Patal Pusri Underpass. The smooth traffic due to the underpass construction needs to be balanced by the arrangement management at the intersections located close to the underpass to get the best network performance since both affect each other performance. The Taman Kenten and Seduduk Putih junctions which are just 569 and 226 meters from the underpass of Patal Pusri has to be analyzed for its needs of management and traffic arrangements to reduce its impact on the performance of the intersection of Patal Pusri or vice versa. Some alternatives of management and traffic arrangements were developed to get the best solutions and the Vissim 8.00 microsimulation program was used to evaluate the performance of intersections in the network where the compared parameters are the value of the queue length and average delay. The results of the analysis and the conducted modeling show that the best solution to optimize the performance of the two junctions are to make geometric changes and diversion of traffic flow at Seduduk Putih Junction and making geometric changes at Taman Kenten Junction.

Comparative advantage between traditional and smart navigation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Jeongkyu; Kim, Pan-Jun; Kim, Seunghwan

2013-03-01

The smart navigation system that refers to real-time traffic data is believed to be superior to traditional navigation systems. To verify this belief, we created an agent-based traffic model and examined the effect of changing market share of the traditional shortest-travel-time algorithm based navigation and the smart navigation system. We tested our model on the grid and actual metropolitan road network structures. The result reveals that the traditional navigation system have better performance than the smart one as the market share of the smart navigation system exceeds a critical value, which is contrary to conventional expectation. We suggest that the superiority inversion between agent groups is strongly related to the traffic weight function form, and is general. We also found that the relationship of market share, traffic flow density and travel time is determined by the combination of congestion avoidance behavior of the smartly navigated agents and the inefficiency of shortest-travel-time based navigated agents. Our results can be interpreted with the minority game and extended to the diverse topics of opinion dynamics. This work was supported by the Original Technology Research Program for Brain Science through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(No. 2010-0018847).

14 CFR 93.28 - One-for-one trade of Arrival Authorizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false One-for-one trade of Arrival Authorizations. 93.28 Section 93.28 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES SPECIAL AIR TRAFFIC RULES Congestion and Delay Reduction at Chicago O'Hare International...

A Space-Time Network-Based Modeling Framework for Dynamic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Routing in Traffic Incident Monitoring Applications

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jisheng; Jia, Limin; Niu, Shuyun; Zhang, Fan; Tong, Lu; Zhou, Xuesong

2015-01-01

It is essential for transportation management centers to equip and manage a network of fixed and mobile sensors in order to quickly detect traffic incidents and further monitor the related impact areas, especially for high-impact accidents with dramatic traffic congestion propagation. As emerging small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) start to have a more flexible regulation environment, it is critically important to fully explore the potential for of using UAVs for monitoring recurring and non-recurring traffic conditions and special events on transportation networks. This paper presents a space-time network- based modeling framework for integrated fixed and mobile sensor networks, in order to provide a rapid and systematic road traffic monitoring mechanism. By constructing a discretized space-time network to characterize not only the speed for UAVs but also the time-sensitive impact areas of traffic congestion, we formulate the problem as a linear integer programming model to minimize the detection delay cost and operational cost, subject to feasible flying route constraints. A Lagrangian relaxation solution framework is developed to decompose the original complex problem into a series of computationally efficient time-dependent and least cost path finding sub-problems. Several examples are used to demonstrate the results of proposed models in UAVs’ route planning for small and medium-scale networks. PMID:26076404

Office of Operations R&D

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-30

The Office of Operations Research and Development (R&D) produces technology and tools to improve transportation system productivity, efficiency, and performance by proactively anticipating congestion and managing traffic.

Load balancing strategy and its lookup-table enhancement in deterministic space delay/disruption tolerant networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jinhui; Liu, Wenxiang; Su, Yingxue; Wang, Feixue

2018-02-01

Space networks, in which connectivity is deterministic and intermittent, can be modeled by delay/disruption tolerant networks. In space delay/disruption tolerant networks, a packet is usually transmitted from the source node to the destination node indirectly via a series of relay nodes. If anyone of the nodes in the path becomes congested, the packet will be dropped due to buffer overflow. One of the main reasons behind congestion is the unbalanced network traffic distribution. We propose a load balancing strategy which takes the congestion status of both the local node and relay nodes into account. The congestion status, together with the end-to-end delay, is used in the routing selection. A lookup-table enhancement is also proposed. The off-line computation and the on-line adjustment are combined together to make a more precise estimate of the end-to-end delay while at the same time reducing the onboard computation. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy helps to distribute network traffic more evenly and therefore reduces the packet drop ratio. In addition, the average delay is also decreased in most cases. The lookup-table enhancement provides a compromise between the need for better communication performance and the desire for less onboard computation.

Analysis of the build-up of semi and non volatile organic compounds on urban roads.

PubMed

Mahbub, Parvez; Ayoko, Godwin A; Goonetilleke, Ashantha; Egodawatta, Prasanna

2011-04-01

Vehicular traffic in urban areas may adversely affect urban water quality through the build-up of traffic generated semi and non volatile organic compounds (SVOCs and NVOCs) on road surfaces. The characterisation of the build-up processes is the key to developing mitigation measures for the removal of such pollutants from urban stormwater. An in-depth analysis of the build-up of SVOCs and NVOCs was undertaken in the Gold Coast region in Australia. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multicriteria Decision tools such as PROMETHEE and GAIA were employed to understand the SVOC and NVOC build-up under combined traffic scenarios of low, moderate, and high traffic in different land uses. It was found that congestion in the commercial areas and use of lubricants and motor oils in the industrial areas were the main sources of SVOCs and NVOCs on urban roads, respectively. The contribution from residential areas to the build-up of such pollutants was hardly noticeable. It was also revealed through this investigation that the target SVOCs and NVOCs were mainly attached to particulate fractions of 75-300 μm whilst the redistribution of coarse fractions due to vehicle activity mainly occurred in the >300 μm size range. Lastly, under combined traffic scenario, moderate traffic with average daily traffic ranging from 2300 to 5900 and average congestion of 0.47 were found to dominate SVOC and NVOC build-up on roads. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling mobile source emissions during traffic jams in a micro urban environment.

PubMed

Kondrashov, Valery V; Reshetin, Vladimir P; Regens, James L; Gunter, James T

2002-01-01

Urbanization typically involves a continuous increase in motor vehicle use, resulting in congestion known as traffic jams. Idling emissions due to traffic jams combine with the complex terrain created by buildings to concentrate atmospheric pollutants in localized areas. This research simulates emissions concentrations and distributions for a congested street in Minsk, Belarus. Ground-level (up to 50-meters above the street's surface) pollutant concentrations were calculated using STAR (version 3.10) with emission factors obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wind speed and direction, and building location and size. Relative emissions concentrations and distributions were simulated at 1-meter and 10-meters above street level. The findings demonstrate the importance of wind speed and direction, and building size and location on emissions concentrations and distributions, with the leeward sides of buildings retaining up to 99 percent of the emitted pollutants within 1-meter of street level, and up to 77 percent 10-meters above the street.

Feasibility study of transportation management strategies in the Poplar Corridor, Memphis, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Siniard, D.

1990-02-01

This report documents the development and implementation of various transportation management strategies aimed at alleviating traffic congestion problems in the Poplar Corridor, a major transportation corridor located in a rapidly growing suburban area of Memphis, Tennessee. The project provided the opportunity for local governments to work with the private sector in a joint venture to address traffic congestion problems and to promote more efficient use of the area's transportation network. The project was carried out by the staff of Memphis Area Rideshare, a joint city/county agency which provides transit information and free carpool/vanpool computer matching services to area commuters. Publicmore » sector participants in the planning process included transportation and land use planners from the Office of Planning and Development, city traffic engineers, and representatives from the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). Private sector input came from major developers and employers in the Poplar Corridor and from officials of schools located in the area.« less

Transport growth in Bangkok: Energy, environment, and traffic congestion. Workshop proceedings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Philpott, J.

1995-07-01

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a physically and economically complexcity with a complicated transport system. With daily traffic congestion averaging 16 hours, the air quality is such that to breathe street level pollution for 8 eight hours is roughly equivalent to smoking nine cigarettes per day. Estimates suggest idling traffic costs up to $1.6 billion annually. Energy use within the transport sector is on a steady rise with an estimated increase in 11 years of two and one half times. Severe health impacts have begun to effect many residents - young children and the elderly being particularly vulnerable. Bangkok`smore » air quality and congestion problems are far from hopeless. Great potential exists for Bangkok to remedy its transport-related problems. The city has many necessary characteristics that allow an efficient, economical system of transport. For example, its high density level makes the city a prime candidate for an efficient system of mass transit and the multitude and close proximity of shops, street vendors, restaurants, and residential areas is highly conducive to walking and cycling. Technical knowledge and capacity to devise and implement innovative policies and projects to address air quality and congestion problems is plentiful. There is also consensus among Bangkokians that something needs to be done immediately to clear the air and the roads. However, little has been done. This report proposes a new approach to transport planning for Bangkok that integrates consideration of ecological, social, and financial viability in the process of making decisions regarding managing existing infrastructure and investments in new infrastructure. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.« less

The Conception Approach to the Traffic Control in Czech Cities - Examples from Prague

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tichý, Tomáš; Krajčír, Dušan

Modern and economic development of contemporary towns is without question highly dependent upon traffic infrastructure progress. Automobile transport intensity is dramatically rising in large towns and other Czech and European cities. At the same time number of traffic congestions and accidents is increasing, standing times are becoming longer and ecological stress is also escalated. To solve this situation seems to be the most effective solution to design intelligent traffic light intersection control system, variable message signs, preference of public transportation, road line traffic control and next telematics subsystems. This control system and subsystems should improve permeability of traffic road network with a respect for all demands on recent trends of traffic development in towns and regions.

Reduction of fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant using intelligent transport systems.

PubMed

Nasir, Mostofa Kamal; Md Noor, Rafidah; Kalam, M A; Masum, B M

2014-01-01

Greenhouse gas emitted by the transport sector around the world is a serious issue of concern. To minimize such emission the automobile engineers have been working relentlessly. Researchers have been trying hard to switch fossil fuel to alternative fuels and attempting to various driving strategies to make traffic flow smooth and to reduce traffic congestion and emission of greenhouse gas. Automobile emits a massive amount of pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM), and oxides of nitrogen (NO x ). Intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies can be implemented to lower pollutant emissions and reduction of fuel consumption. This paper investigates the ITS techniques and technologies for the reduction of fuel consumption and minimization of the exhaust pollutant. It highlights the environmental impact of the ITS application to provide the state-of-art green solution. A case study also advocates that ITS technology reduces fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant in the urban environment.

A Concept for Robust, High Density Terminal Air Traffic Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Isaacson, Douglas R.; Robinson, John E.; Swenson, Harry N.; Denery, Dallas G.

2010-01-01

This paper describes a concept for future high-density, terminal air traffic operations that has been developed by interpreting the Joint Planning and Development Office s vision for the Next Generation (NextGen) Air Transportation System and coupling it with emergent NASA and other technologies and procedures during the NextGen timeframe. The concept described in this paper includes five core capabilities: 1) Extended Terminal Area Routing, 2) Precision Scheduling Along Routes, 3) Merging and Spacing, 4) Tactical Separation, and 5) Off-Nominal Recovery. Gradual changes are introduced to the National Airspace System (NAS) by phased enhancements to the core capabilities in the form of increased levels of automation and decision support as well as targeted task delegation. NASA will be evaluating these conceptual technological enhancements in a series of human-in-the-loop simulations and will accelerate development of the most promising capabilities in cooperation with the FAA through the Efficient Flows Into Congested Airspace Research Transition Team.

Reduction of Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Pollutant Using Intelligent Transport Systems

PubMed Central

Nasir, Mostofa Kamal; Md Noor, Rafidah; Kalam, M. A.; Masum, B. M.

2014-01-01

Greenhouse gas emitted by the transport sector around the world is a serious issue of concern. To minimize such emission the automobile engineers have been working relentlessly. Researchers have been trying hard to switch fossil fuel to alternative fuels and attempting to various driving strategies to make traffic flow smooth and to reduce traffic congestion and emission of greenhouse gas. Automobile emits a massive amount of pollutants such as Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies can be implemented to lower pollutant emissions and reduction of fuel consumption. This paper investigates the ITS techniques and technologies for the reduction of fuel consumption and minimization of the exhaust pollutant. It highlights the environmental impact of the ITS application to provide the state-of-art green solution. A case study also advocates that ITS technology reduces fuel consumption and exhaust pollutant in the urban environment. PMID:25032239

Convective Weather Avoidance with Uncertain Weather Forecasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karahan, Sinan; Windhorst, Robert D.

2009-01-01

Convective weather events have a disruptive impact on air traffic both in terminal area and in en-route airspaces. In order to make sure that the national air transportation system is safe and efficient, it is essential to respond to convective weather events effectively. Traffic flow control initiatives in response to convective weather include ground delay, airborne delay, miles-in-trail restrictions as well as tactical and strategic rerouting. The rerouting initiatives can potentially increase traffic density and complexity in regions neighboring the convective weather activity. There is a need to perform rerouting in an intelligent and efficient way such that the disruptive effects of rerouting are minimized. An important area of research is to study the interaction of in-flight rerouting with traffic congestion or complexity and developing methods that quantitatively measure this interaction. Furthermore, it is necessary to find rerouting solutions that account for uncertainties in weather forecasts. These are important steps toward managing complexity during rerouting operations, and the paper is motivated by these research questions. An automated system is developed for rerouting air traffic in order to avoid convective weather regions during the 20- minute - 2-hour time horizon. Such a system is envisioned to work in concert with separation assurance (0 - 20-minute time horizon), and longer term air traffic management (2-hours and beyond) to provide a more comprehensive solution to complexity and safety management. In this study, weather is dynamic and uncertain; it is represented as regions of airspace that pilots are likely to avoid. Algorithms are implemented in an air traffic simulation environment to support the research study. The algorithms used are deterministic but periodically revise reroutes to account for weather forecast updates. In contrast to previous studies, in this study convective weather is represented as regions of airspace that pilots are likely to avoid. The automated system periodically updates forecasts and reassesses rerouting decisions in order to account for changing weather predictions. The main objectives are to reroute flights to avoid convective weather regions and determine the resulting complexity due to rerouting. The eventual goal is to control and reduce complexity while rerouting flights during the 20 minute - 2 hour planning period. A three-hour simulation is conducted using 4800 flights in the national airspace. The study compares several metrics against a baseline scenario using the same traffic and weather but with rerouting disabled. The results show that rerouting can have a negative impact on congestion in some sectors, as expected. The rerouting system provides accurate measurements of the resulting complexity in the congested sectors. Furthermore, although rerouting is performed only in the 20-minute - 2-hour range, it results in a 30% reduction in encounters with nowcast weather polygons (100% being the ideal for perfectly predictable and accurate weather). In the simulations, rerouting was performed for the 20-minute - 2-hour flight time horizon, and for the en-route segment of air traffic. The implementation uses CWAM, a set of polygons that represent probabilities of pilot deviation around weather. The algorithms were implemented in a software-based air traffic simulation system. Initial results of the system's performance and effectiveness were encouraging. Simulation results showed that when flights were rerouted in the 20-minute - 2-hour flight time horizon of air traffic, there were fewer weather encounters in the first 20 minutes than for flights that were not rerouted. Some preliminary results were also obtained that showed that rerouting will also increase complexity. More simulations will be conducted in order to report conclusive results on the effects of rerouting on complexity. Thus, the use of the 20-minute - 2-hour flight time horizon weather avoidance teniques performed in the simulation is expected to provide benefits for short-term weather avoidance.

Trade transport and environment linkages at the U.S.-Mexico border: which policies matter?

PubMed

Fernandez, Linda; Das, Monica

2011-03-01

We apply a fixed-effects model to examine the impact of trade and environmental policies on air quality at ports along the U.S.-Mexico border. We control for other factors influencing air quality, such as air quality of cities near the border, volume of traffic flows and congestion. Results show the air quality improved after 2004, when the diesel engine policy was applied. We see mixed results for the trade policy, whose implementation time varies across ports along the international border. Controlling for air quality in cities near the border is essential for assessing the policy contributions to air quality. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yue J.; Malikopoulos, Andreas; Cassandras, Christos G.

We address the problem of coordinating online a continuous flow of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) crossing two adjacent intersections in an urban area. We present a decentralized optimal control framework whose solution yields for each vehicle the optimal acceleration/deceleration at any time in the sense of minimizing fuel consumption. The solu- tion, when it exists, allows the vehicles to cross the intersections without the use of traffic lights, without creating congestion on the connecting road, and under the hard safety constraint of collision avoidance. The effectiveness of the proposed solution is validated through simulation considering two intersections located inmore » downtown Boston, and it is shown that coordination of CAVs can reduce significantly both fuel consumption and travel time.« less

Traffic congestion and ozone precursor emissions in Bilbao, Spain.

PubMed

Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel; Madariaga, Imanol

2003-01-01

In urban environments, the measured levels of ozone are the result of the interaction between emissions of precursors (mainly VOCs and NOx) and meteorological effects. In this work, time series of daily values of ozone, measured at three locations in Bilbao (Spain), have been built. Then, after removing meteorological effects from them, ozone and traffic data have been analyzed jointly. The goal was to identify traffic situations and link them to ozone levels in the area of Bilbao. To remove meteorological effects from the selected ozone time series, the technique developed by Rao and Zurbenko was used. This is a widely used technique and, after its application, the fraction obtained from a given ozone time series represents an ozone forming capability attributable to emissions of precursors. This fraction is devoid of any meteorological influence and includes only the apportion of periodicities above 1.7 years. In the case of Bilbao, the ozone fractions obtained at three locations have been compared on that time scale with traffic data from the area. For the 1993-1996 period, a regression analysis of the ozone and traffic fractions due to periodicities above 1.7 years (long-term fractions), shows that traffic is the main explanatory factor for ozone with R2 ranging from 0.916 to 0.996 at the three locations studied. Analysis of these longterm fractions has made it possible to identify two traffic regimes for the whole area, associated to different profiles of ozone forming capability. The first one favors low ozone forming capability, and is associated with a situation of fluent traffic. The second one shows high ozone forming capability and represents congestion. Joint analysis of raw data of ozone and traffic do not show any clear pattern due to the strong masking effects that seasonal-meteorological effects (mainly radiation) have on the measured ozone signal. If only immission data of ozone are available, as in this case, a comparison between ozone and traffic can only be made on the long-term time scale, since that is the only fraction embedded in the ozone time series that can exclusively be attributed to emissions of precursors. This fact stresses the need to study the different fractions embedded in the time series of ozone measured levels separately. Though the coefficients obtained in the regression are only valid for the 1993-1996 period, these traffic regimes represent long-term targets (congestion or fluent traffic) that can inspire policies for a joint management of the traffic and pollution by ozone in the area of Bilbao beyond that period. The results of this work show the need of a joint management of ozone and traffic in Bilbao. Since an accurate knowledge of traffic was not available, the use of emission factors to relate traffic and actual ozone levels has not been possible. For this reason, this study has focused on the long-term fractions of traffic and ozone. In the future, if a more accurate knowledge of traffic is available, it will be possible to find relationships between traffic and ozone on all time scales.

0-6803 : technology task force.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-01

Texas 83rd Legislature charged the Texas Department : of Transportation (TxDOT) with examining and : evaluating innovative transportation technologies to : decrease costs, reduce traffic congestion, enhance : safety, and increase economic producti...

Investigation of CO2 emission reduction strategy from in-use gasoline vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, Arti; Gokhale, Sharad

2016-04-01

On road transport emissions is kicking off in Indian cities due to high levels of urbanization and economic growth during the last decade in Indian subcontinent. In 1951, about 17% of India's population were living in urban areas that increased to 32% in 2011. Currently, India is fourth largest Green House Gas (GHG) emitter in the world, with its transport sector being the second largest contributor of CO2 emissions. For achieving prospective carbon reduction targets, substantial opportunity among in-use vehicle is necessary to quantify. Since, urban traffic flow and operating condition has significant impact on exhaust emission (Choudhary and Gokhale, 2016). This study examined the influence of vehicular operating kinetics on CO2 emission from predominant private transportation vehicles of Indian metropolitan city, Guwahati. On-board instantaneous data were used to quantify the impact of CO2 emission on different mileage passenger cars and auto-rickshaws at different times of the day. Further study investigates CO2 emission reduction strategies by using International Vehicle Emission (IVE) model to improve co-benefit in private transportation by integrated effort such as gradual phase-out of inefficient vehicle and low carbon fuel. The analysis suggests that fuel type, vehicles maintenance and traffic flow management have potential for reduction of urban sector GHG emissions. Keywords: private transportation, CO2, instantaneous emission, IVE model Reference Choudhary, A., Gokhale, S. (2016). Urban real-world driving traffic emissions during interruption and congestion. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 43: 59-70.

An ecological study of the locations of schools and child pedestrian injury collisions.

PubMed

LaScala, Elizabeth A; Gruenewald, Paul J; Johnson, Fred W

2004-07-01

Geographic studies of the incidence and prevalence of child pedestrian injury collisions in different community environments have been primarily descriptive and idiosyncratic, reflecting one or another likely determinant of the places where these injuries occur. The current study maintains that multiple determinants of child pedestrian injury collisions must be considered in evaluating the unique contributions of any one community feature to injury rates. These features include local characteristics of populations, such as rates of unemployment, and places, such as locations of schools. Schools are one stable geographic feature associated with regular, often concentrated periods of complex and congested traffic patterns. The objective of the present study was to examine annual rates of child pedestrian injury in four California communities with a focus on the unique contribution of schools to injury risk. We predicted that annual numbers of child pedestrian injury collisions (both in-school and summer combined) would be greater in communities with higher youth population densities, more unemployment, fewer high-income households, and higher traffic flow. It was hypothesized that youth population density and its interaction with the number of schools in a given area would be related to greater rates of child pedestrian collisions during in-school months. An ecological approach was taken that divided the four communities into 102 geographic units with an average of 6321 people residing in each unit. Archival data on traffic flow, number of child pedestrian injury collisions and locations of schools were obtained from state agencies. Individual-level data were obtained from a general population survey conducted in the communities. The results showed that annual numbers of injuries were greater in areas with higher youth population densities, more unemployment, fewer high-income households, and greater traffic flow. Annual numbers of injuries during in-school months were greater in areas containing middle schools and greater population densities of youth.

A cellular automata model for traffic flow based on kinetics theory, vehicles capabilities and driver reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzmán, H. A.; Lárraga, M. E.; Alvarez-Icaza, L.; Carvajal, J.

2018-02-01

In this paper, a reliable cellular automata model oriented to faithfully reproduce deceleration and acceleration according to realistic reactions of drivers, when vehicles with different deceleration capabilities are considered is presented. The model focuses on describing complex traffic phenomena by coding in its rules the basic mechanisms of drivers behavior, vehicles capabilities and kinetics, while preserving simplicity. In particular, vehiclés kinetics is based on uniform accelerated motion, rather than in impulsive accelerated motion as in most existing CA models. Thus, the proposed model calculates in an analytic way three safe preserving distances to determine the best action a follower vehicle can take under a worst case scenario. Besides, the prediction analysis guarantees that under the proper assumptions, collision between vehicles may not happen at any future time. Simulations results indicate that all interactions of heterogeneous vehicles (i.e., car-truck, truck-car, car-car and truck-truck) are properly reproduced by the model. In addition, the model overcomes one of the major limitations of CA models for traffic modeling: the inability to perform smooth approach to slower or stopped vehicles. Moreover, the model is also capable of reproducing most empirical findings including the backward speed of the downstream front of the traffic jam, and different congested traffic patterns induced by a system with open boundary conditions with an on-ramp. Like most CA models, integer values are used to make the model run faster, which makes the proposed model suitable for real time traffic simulation of large networks.

[Reduction of automobile traffic: urgent health promotion policy].

PubMed

Tapia Granados, J A

1998-03-01

During the last few decades, traffic injuries have become one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. In urban areas, traffic congestion, noise, and emissions from motor vehicles produce subjective disturbances and detectable pathological effects. More than one billion people are exposed to harmful levels of environmental pollution. Because its combustion engine generates carbon dioxide (CO2), the automobile is one of the chief sources of the gases that are causing the greenhouse effect. The latter has already caused a rise in the average ambient temperature, and over the next decades it will predictable cause significant climatic changes whose consequences, though uncertain, are likely to be harmful and possibly catastrophic. Aside from the greenhouse effect, the relentless growth of parking zones, traffic, and the roadway infrastructure in urban and rural areas is currently one of the leading causes of environmental degradation. Urban development, which is nearly always "planned" around traffic instead of people, leads to a significant deterioration in the quality of life, while it also destroys the social fabric. Unlike the private automobile, public transportation, bicycles, and walking help reduce pollution, congestion, and traffic volume, as well as the morbidity and mortality resulting from injuries and ailments related to pollution. Non-automobile transportation also encourages physical activity--with its positive effect on general health--and helps reduce the greenhouse effect. The drop in traffic volume and the increased use of alternate means of transportation are thus an integrated health promotion policy which should become an inherent part of the movement for the promotion of healthy cities and of transportation policies and economic policy in general.

High performance interconnection between high data rate networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, K.; Overstreet, C. M.; Zhang, L.; Sun, W.

1992-01-01

The bridge/gateway system needed to interconnect a wide range of computer networks to support a wide range of user quality-of-service requirements is discussed. The bridge/gateway must handle a wide range of message types including synchronous and asynchronous traffic, large, bursty messages, short, self-contained messages, time critical messages, etc. It is shown that messages can be classified into three basic classes, synchronous and large and small asynchronous messages. The first two require call setup so that packet identification, buffer handling, etc. can be supported in the bridge/gateway. Identification enables resequences in packet size. The third class is for messages which do not require call setup. Resequencing hardware based to handle two types of resequencing problems is presented. The first is for a virtual parallel circuit which can scramble channel bytes. The second system is effective in handling both synchronous and asynchronous traffic between networks with highly differing packet sizes and data rates. The two other major needs for the bridge/gateway are congestion and error control. A dynamic, lossless congestion control scheme which can easily support effective error correction is presented. Results indicate that the congestion control scheme provides close to optimal capacity under congested conditions. Under conditions where error may develop due to intervening networks which are not lossless, intermediate error recovery and correction takes 1/3 less time than equivalent end-to-end error correction under similar conditions.

Operational Evaluatioin of Dynamic Weather Routes at American Airlines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNally, David; Sheth, Kapil; Gong, Chester; Borchers, Paul; Osborne, Jeff; Keany, Desmond; Scott, Brennan; Smith, Steve; Sahlman, Scott; Lee, Chuhan;

Evaluation of Two Methods of Prompting Drivers to Use Specific Exits on Conflicts between Vehicles at the Critical Exit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Houten, Ron; Malenfant, J. E. Louis; Zhao, Nan; Ko, Byungkon; Van Houten, Jonathan

2005-01-01

The Florida Department of Transportation used a series of changeable-message signs that functioned as freeway guide signs to divert traffic to Universal Theme Park via one of two eastbound exits based on traffic congestion at the first of the two exits. An examination of crashes along the entire route indicated a statistically significant increase…

Visual traffic jam analysis based on trajectory data.

PubMed

Wang, Zuchao; Lu, Min; Yuan, Xiaoru; Zhang, Junping; van de Wetering, Huub

2013-12-01

In this work, we present an interactive system for visual analysis of urban traffic congestion based on GPS trajectories. For these trajectories we develop strategies to extract and derive traffic jam information. After cleaning the trajectories, they are matched to a road network. Subsequently, traffic speed on each road segment is computed and traffic jam events are automatically detected. Spatially and temporally related events are concatenated in, so-called, traffic jam propagation graphs. These graphs form a high-level description of a traffic jam and its propagation in time and space. Our system provides multiple views for visually exploring and analyzing the traffic condition of a large city as a whole, on the level of propagation graphs, and on road segment level. Case studies with 24 days of taxi GPS trajectories collected in Beijing demonstrate the effectiveness of our system.

0-6803 : new technology task force : phase II.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-01

Texas 83rd Legislature charged the Texas Department : of Transportation (TxDOT) with examining and : evaluating innovative transportation technologies for : purposes of reducing costs, reducing traffic congestion, : enhancing safety, and increasin...

Dual mode vehicle and infrastructure alternatives analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-04-01

The United States has a transportation challenge that requires addressing four issues simultaneously: traffic congestion, environmental pollution, safety, and energy security. A potential solution to these transportation challenges is the concept of ...

Quantifying travel time variability in transportation networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

Nonrecurring congestion creates significant delay on freeways in urban areas, lending importance : to the study of facility reliability. In locations where traffic detectors record and archive data, : approximate probability distributions for travel ...

a Numerical Investigation of the Jamming Transition in Traffic Flow on Diluted Planar Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achler, Gabriele; Barra, Adriano

In order to develop a toy model for car's traffic in cities, in this paper we analyze, by means of numerical simulations, the transition among fluid regimes and a congested jammed phase of the flow of kinetically constrained hard spheres in planar random networks similar to urban roads. In order to explore as timescales as possible, at a microscopic level we implement an event driven dynamics as the infinite time limit of a class of already existing model (Follow the Leader) on an Erdos-Renyi two-dimensional graph, the crossroads being accounted by standard Kirchoff density conservations. We define a dynamical order parameter as the ratio among the moving spheres versus the total number and by varying two control parameters (density of the spheres and coordination number of the network) we study the phase transition. At a mesoscopic level it respects an, again suitable, adapted version of the Lighthill-Whitham model, which belongs to the fluid-dynamical approach to the problem. At a macroscopic level, the model seems to display a continuous transition from a fluid phase to a jammed phase when varying the density of the spheres (the amount of cars in a city-like scenario) and a discontinuous jump when varying the connectivity of the underlying network.

Emergency vehicle-to-vehicle communication : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-15

Emergency response vehicles (ERVs) frequently navigate congested traffic conditions to reach : their destinations as quickly as possible. In this report, several efforts performed by the research : group are described, including micro-simulation, fie...

Georgia guidebook for pedestrian planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-06-01

Walking is an important transportation : mode with many benefits. It serves as a : means of transportation without : creating adverse effects such as : pollution, noise, or traffic congestion. : Walking does not require the continuous construction of...

Characterization of transit ride quality.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

Strategies often proposed to combat the growing traffic congestion problems of urban environments target enhancements to increase the use of bus transit. Therefore, service providers are keen to identify and understand factors that could attract more...

Walking in the city.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

Motivated by traffic congestion, excessive energy use and poor health outcomes, planning and public health researchers have developed an extensive body of research that examines walking and other active transport as well as walking for recreation. In...

Qualifications of drivers - vision and diabetes

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

San Francisco UPA projects focus on reducing traffic congestion related to parking in downtown San Francisco. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies underlie many of the San Francisco UPA projects, including parking and roadway sensors...

HOV Lane Violation Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-01-01

In an attempt to cope with the traffic congestion caused by the rapid growth of : suburban populations and the relative decline in funds and space for additional : freeway construction, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has : int...

Speeding In Rural Areas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce injuries and fatalities suffered on our roads and highways, as well as enabling reductions in traffic congestion and impacts on the environment. As a critic...

Identification of successful ridesharing strategies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

Ridesharing offers a relatively low-cost solution to the problems associated with high commuting costs, traffic congestion, unmet parking demands, energy shortages, and excessive air pollutants. Accordingly, it is worthwhile to develop a list of stra...

Encapsulating urban traffic rhythms into road networks.

PubMed

Wang, Junjie; Wei, Dong; He, Kun; Gong, Hang; Wang, Pu

2014-02-20

Using road GIS (geographical information systems) data and travel demand data for two U.S. urban areas, the dynamical driver sources of each road segment were located. A method to target road clusters closely related to urban traffic congestion was then developed to improve road network efficiency. The targeted road clusters show different spatial distributions at different times of a day, indicating that our method can encapsulate dynamical travel demand information into the road networks. As a proof of concept, when we lowered the speed limit or increased the capacity of road segments in the targeted road clusters, we found that both the number of congested roads and extra travel time were effectively reduced. In addition, the proposed modeling framework provided new insights on the optimization of transport efficiency in any infrastructure network with a specific supply and demand distribution.

Encapsulating Urban Traffic Rhythms into Road Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Junjie; Wei, Dong; He, Kun; Gong, Hang; Wang, Pu

2014-01-01

Using road GIS (geographical information systems) data and travel demand data for two U.S. urban areas, the dynamical driver sources of each road segment were located. A method to target road clusters closely related to urban traffic congestion was then developed to improve road network efficiency. The targeted road clusters show different spatial distributions at different times of a day, indicating that our method can encapsulate dynamical travel demand information into the road networks. As a proof of concept, when we lowered the speed limit or increased the capacity of road segments in the targeted road clusters, we found that both the number of congested roads and extra travel time were effectively reduced. In addition, the proposed modeling framework provided new insights on the optimization of transport efficiency in any infrastructure network with a specific supply and demand distribution. PMID:24553203

Road Environments: Impact of Metals on Human Health in Heavily Congested Cities of Poland

PubMed Central

Adamiec, Ewa

2017-01-01

Road dust as a by-product of exhaust and non-exhaust emissions can be a major cause of systemic oxidative stress and multiple disorders. Substantial amounts of road dust are repeatedly resuspended, in particular at traffic lights and junctions where more braking is involved, causing potential threat to pedestrians, especially children. In order to determine the degree of contamination in the heavily traffic-congested cities of Poland, a total of 148 samples of road dust (RD), sludge from storm drains (SL) and roadside soil (RS) were collected. Sixteen metals were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) in all samples. Chemical evaluation followed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that road environments have been severely contaminated with traffic-related elements. Concentration of copper in all road-environment samples is even higher, exceeding even up to 15 times its average concentrations established for the surrounding soils. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment revealed that the hazard index (HI) for children in all road-environment samples exceeds the safe level of 1. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to potential health risks caused by the ingestion of traffic-related particles during outdoor activities. PMID:28661464

Road Environments: Impact of Metals on Human Health in Heavily Congested Cities of Poland.

PubMed

Adamiec, Ewa

2017-06-29

Road dust as a by-product of exhaust and non-exhaust emissions can be a major cause of systemic oxidative stress and multiple disorders. Substantial amounts of road dust are repeatedly resuspended, in particular at traffic lights and junctions where more braking is involved, causing potential threat to pedestrians, especially children. In order to determine the degree of contamination in the heavily traffic-congested cities of Poland, a total of 148 samples of road dust (RD), sludge from storm drains (SL) and roadside soil (RS) were collected. Sixteen metals were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) in all samples. Chemical evaluation followed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that road environments have been severely contaminated with traffic-related elements. Concentration of copper in all road-environment samples is even higher, exceeding even up to 15 times its average concentrations established for the surrounding soils. Non-carcinogenic health risk assessment revealed that the hazard index (HI) for children in all road-environment samples exceeds the safe level of 1. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to potential health risks caused by the ingestion of traffic-related particles during outdoor activities.

Exhaust Emissions Measured Under Real Traffic Conditions from Vehicles Fitted with Spark Ignition and Compression Ignition Engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkisz, Jerzy; Lijewski, Piotr; Fuć, Paweł

2011-06-01

The tests performed under real traffic conditions provide invaluable information on the relations between the engine parameters, vehicle parameters and traffic conditions (traffic congestion) on one side and the exhaust emissions on the other. The paper presents the result of road tests obtained in an urban and extra-urban cycles for vehicles fitted with different engines, spark ignition engine and compression ignition engine. For the tests a portable emission analyzer SEMTECH DS. by SENSORS was used. This analyzer provides online measurement of the concentrations of exhaust emission components on a vehicle in motion under real traffic conditions. The tests were performed in city traffic. A comparative analysis has been presented of the obtained results for vehicles with individual powertrains.

Auction Mechanism to Allocate Air Traffic Control Slots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raffarin, Marianne

2003-01-01

This article deals with an auction mechanism for airspace slots, as a means of solving the European airspace congestion problem. A disequilibrium, between Air Traffic Control (ATC) services supply and ATC services demand are at the origin of almost one fourth of delays in the air transport industry in Europe. In order to tackle this congestion problem, we suggest modifying both pricing and allocation of ATC services, by setting up an auction mechanism. Objects of the auction will be the right for airlines to cross a part of the airspace, and then to benefit from ATC services over a period corresponding to the necessary time for the crossing. Allocation and payment rules have to be defined according to the objectives of this auction. The auctioneer is the public authority in charge of ATC services, whose aim is to obtain an efficient allocation. Therefore, the social value will be maximized. Another objective is to internalize congestion costs. To that end, we apply the principle of Clarke-Groves mechanism auction: each winner has to pay the externalities imposed on other bidders. The complex context of ATC leads to a specific design for this auction.

Reducing transit bus emissions: Alternative fuels or traffic operations?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Ahsan; Hatzopoulou, Marianne

2014-06-01

In this study, we simulated the operations and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of transit buses along a busy corridor and quantified the effects of two different fuels (conventional diesel and compressed natural gas) as well as a set of driving conditions on emissions. Results indicate that compressed natural gas (CNG) reduces GHG emissions by 8-12% compared to conventional diesel, this reduction could increase to 16% with high levels of traffic congestion. However, the benefits of switching from conventional diesel to CNG are less apparent when the road network is uncongested. We also investigated the effects of bus operations on emissions by applying several strategies such as transit signal priority (TSP), queue jumper lanes, and relocation of bus stops. Results show that in congested conditions, TSP alone can reduce GHG emissions by 14% and when combined with improved technology; a reduction of 23% is achieved. The reduction benefits are even more apparent when other transit operational improvements are combined with TSP. Finally a sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the effect of operational improvements on emissions under varying levels of network congestion. We observe that under “extreme congestion”, the benefits of TSP decrease.

EVALUATION OF THE SCATS CONTROL SYSTEM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-12-01

Increasing travel demand and lack of sufficient highway capacity are serious problems in most major metropolitan areas in the United States. Large metropolitan areas have been experiencing increased traffic congestion problems over the past several y...

Potential Energy and Emission Benefits of Vehicle Automation and Connectivity

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

Driving behavior greatly impacts vehicle tailpipe emissions. Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies are designed to smooth driving and relieve traffic congestion and are therefore expected to reduce fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions...

78 FR 40488 - Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Construction of a Highway...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-05

... operating conditions for vehicular and pedestrian traffic; Improve capacity of the local roadway network; Improve local mobility; reduce congestion; improve emergency response times; and Improve evacuation...

Position verification systems for an automated highway system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-01

Automated vehicles promote road safety, fuel efficiency, and reduced travel time by decreasing traffic : congestion and driver workload. In a vehicle platoon (grouping vehicles to increase road capacity by : managing distance between vehicles using e...

Providing Advanced and Real-Time Travel/Traffic Information to Tourists

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

Advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) analyze and communicate information that can enhance travel efficiency, alleviate congestion, and increase safety. In Texas, tourists (i.e., tripmakers unacquainted with the state) constitute an important ...

Dynamic travel time estimation using regression trees.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-10-01

This report presents a methodology for travel time estimation by using regression trees. The dissemination of travel time information has become crucial for effective traffic management, especially under congested road conditions. In the absence of c...

Active traffic management : the next step in congestion management

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-07-01

The combination of continued travel growth and budget constraints makes it difficult for transportation agencies to provide sufficient roadway capacity in major metropolitan areas. The Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Hig...

General guidelines for active traffic management deployment : interim report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

Continued growth in travel in congested freeway corridors and limited public funding for expansion and improvement projects are limiting agencies abilities to provide sufficient roadway capacity in major metropolitan areas. Focusing on trip reliab...

Traffic congestion : issues and options : conference summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-26

In 2003, elected officials on Capitol Hill will outline the national transportation legislation that will define and fund transportation investments throughout the country for the next six years, directly affecting how metropolitan regions will respo...

Freeway geometric design for active traffic management in Europe

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-03-01

Continued growth in travel on congested urban freeway corridors exceeds the ability of agencies to provide sufficient solutions and alternatives based on traditional roadway expansion and improvement projects. Several countries are implementing manag...

An extended car-following model considering the acceleration derivative in some typical traffic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Tong; Chen, Dong; Liu, Weining

2018-03-01

Based on the full velocity difference and acceleration car-following model, an extended car-following model is proposed by considering the vehicle’s acceleration derivative. The stability condition is given by applying the control theory. Considering some typical traffic environments, the results of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show the extended model has a more actual acceleration of string vehicles than that of the previous models in starting process, stopping process and sudden brake. Meanwhile, the traffic jams more easily occur when the coefficient of vehicle’s acceleration derivative increases, which is presented by space-time evolution. The results confirm that the vehicle’s acceleration derivative plays an important role in the traffic jamming transition and the evolution of traffic congestion.

In Vivo Evaluation of Active and Passive Physiological Control Systems for Rotary Left and Right Ventricular Assist Devices.

PubMed

Gregory, Shaun D; Stevens, Michael C; Pauls, Jo P; Schummy, Emma; Diab, Sara; Thomson, Bruce; Anderson, Ben; Tansley, Geoff; Salamonsen, Robert; Fraser, John F; Timms, Daniel

2016-09-01

Preventing ventricular suction and venous congestion through balancing flow rates and circulatory volumes with dual rotary ventricular assist devices (VADs) configured for biventricular support is clinically challenging due to their low preload and high afterload sensitivities relative to the natural heart. This study presents the in vivo evaluation of several physiological control systems, which aim to prevent ventricular suction and venous congestion. The control systems included a sensor-based, master/slave (MS) controller that altered left and right VAD speed based on pressure and flow; a sensor-less compliant inflow cannula (IC), which altered inlet resistance and, therefore, pump flow based on preload; a sensor-less compliant outflow cannula (OC) on the right VAD, which altered outlet resistance and thus pump flow based on afterload; and a combined controller, which incorporated the MS controller, compliant IC, and compliant OC. Each control system was evaluated in vivo under step increases in systemic (SVR ∼1400-2400 dyne/s/cm(5) ) and pulmonary (PVR ∼200-1000 dyne/s/cm(5) ) vascular resistances in four sheep supported by dual rotary VADs in a biventricular assist configuration. Constant speed support was also evaluated for comparison and resulted in suction events during all resistance increases and pulmonary congestion during SVR increases. The MS controller reduced suction events and prevented congestion through an initial sharp reduction in pump flow followed by a gradual return to baseline (5.0 L/min). The compliant IC prevented suction events; however, reduced pump flows and pulmonary congestion were noted during the SVR increase. The compliant OC maintained pump flow close to baseline (5.0 L/min) and prevented suction and congestion during PVR increases. The combined controller responded similarly to the MS controller to prevent suction and congestion events in all cases while providing a backup system in the event of single controller failure. © 2016 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Meso-scale on-road vehicle emission inventory approach: a study on Dhaka City of Bangladesh supporting the 'cause-effect' analysis of the transport system.

PubMed

Iqbal, Asif; Allan, Andrew; Zito, Rocco

2016-03-01

The study aims to develop an emission inventory (EI) approach and conduct an inventory for vehicular sources in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. A meso-scale modelling approach was adopted for the inventory; the factors that influence the emissions and the magnitude of emission variation were identified and reported on, which was an innovative approach to account emissions unlike the conventional inventory approaches. Two techniques for the emission inventory were applied, viz. (i) a combined top-down and bottom-up approach that considered the total vehicle population and the average diurnal on-road vehicle speed profile in the city and (ii) a bottom-up approach that accounted for road link-specific emissions of the city considering diurnal traffic volume and speed profiles of the respective roads. For the bottom-up approach, road link-specific detailed data were obtained through field survey in 2012, where mid-block traffic count of the day, vehicle speed profile, road network and congestion data were collected principally. The emission variances for the change in transport system characteristics (like change in fuel type, AC usage pattern, increased speed and reduced congestion/stopping) were predicted and analysed in this study; congestion influenced average speed of the vehicles, and fuel types in the vehicles were identified as the major stressors. The study performance was considered reasonable when comparing with the limited number of similar studies conducted earlier. Given the increasing trend of private vehicles each year coupled with increasing traffic congestion, the city is under threat of increased vehicular emissions unless a good management strategy is implemented. Although the inventory is conducted for Dhaka and the result may be important locally, the approach adopted in this research is innovative in nature to be followed for conducting research on other urban transport systems.

Heavy truck restrictions and air quality implications in São Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Pérez-Martínez, Pedro José; de Fátima Andrade, María; de Miranda, Regina Maura

2017-11-01

This study quantified the effects of traffic restrictions on diesel fuel heavy vehicles (HVs) on the air quality of the Bandeirantes corridor using hourly data obtained by continuous monitoring of traffic and air quality at sites located on this avenue. The study addressed the air quality of a city impacted by vehicular emissions and that PM 10 and NO X concentrations are mainly due to diesel burning. Data collection was split into two time periods, a period of no traffic constraint on HVs (Nov 2008 and 2009) and a period of constraint (Nov 2010, 2011 and 2012). We found that pollutants on this corridor, mainly PM 10 and NO X , decreased significantly during the period from 2008 to 2012 (28 and 43%, 15.8 and 86.9 ppb) as a direct consequence of HV traffic restrictions (a 72% reduction). Rebound effects in the form of increased traffic of light vehicles (LVs) during this time had impacts on the concentration levels, explaining the differences between rates of reduction in HV traffic and pollutants. Reductions in the number of trucks resulted in longer travel times and increased traffic congestion as a consequence of the modal shift towards LVs. We found that a 51% decrease in PM 10 (28.8 μg m -3 ) was due to a reduction in HV traffic (vehicle emissions were estimated to be 71% of total sources, 40.1 μg m -3 ). This percentage was partially offset by 10% more PM 10 emissions related to an increase in LV traffic, while other causes, such as climatic conditions, contributed to a 13% increase in PM 10 concentrations. The relationships analyzed in this research served to highlight the need to apply urban transport policies aimed at decreasing pollutant concentrations in São Paulo, especially in heavily congested urban corridors on working days. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Beacon Transmission Power Control Algorithm Based on Wireless Channel Load Forecasting in VANETs.

PubMed

Mo, Yuanfu; Yu, Dexin; Song, Jun; Zheng, Kun; Guo, Yajuan

2015-01-01

In a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), the periodic exchange of single-hop status information broadcasts (beacon frames) produces channel loading, which causes channel congestion and induces information conflict problems. To guarantee fairness in beacon transmissions from each node and maximum network connectivity, adjustment of the beacon transmission power is an effective method for reducing and preventing channel congestion. In this study, the primary factors that influence wireless channel loading are selected to construct the KF-BCLF, which is a channel load forecasting algorithm based on a recursive Kalman filter and employs multiple regression equation. By pre-adjusting the transmission power based on the forecasted channel load, the channel load was kept within a predefined range; therefore, channel congestion was prevented. Based on this method, the CLF-BTPC, which is a transmission power control algorithm, is proposed. To verify KF-BCLF algorithm, a traffic survey method that involved the collection of floating car data along a major traffic road in Changchun City is employed. By comparing this forecast with the measured channel loads, the proposed KF-BCLF algorithm was proven to be effective. In addition, the CLF-BTPC algorithm is verified by simulating a section of eight-lane highway and a signal-controlled urban intersection. The results of the two verification process indicate that this distributed CLF-BTPC algorithm can effectively control channel load, prevent channel congestion, and enhance the stability and robustness of wireless beacon transmission in a vehicular network.

A Beacon Transmission Power Control Algorithm Based on Wireless Channel Load Forecasting in VANETs

PubMed Central

Mo, Yuanfu; Yu, Dexin; Song, Jun; Zheng, Kun; Guo, Yajuan

2015-01-01

In a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), the periodic exchange of single-hop status information broadcasts (beacon frames) produces channel loading, which causes channel congestion and induces information conflict problems. To guarantee fairness in beacon transmissions from each node and maximum network connectivity, adjustment of the beacon transmission power is an effective method for reducing and preventing channel congestion. In this study, the primary factors that influence wireless channel loading are selected to construct the KF-BCLF, which is a channel load forecasting algorithm based on a recursive Kalman filter and employs multiple regression equation. By pre-adjusting the transmission power based on the forecasted channel load, the channel load was kept within a predefined range; therefore, channel congestion was prevented. Based on this method, the CLF-BTPC, which is a transmission power control algorithm, is proposed. To verify KF-BCLF algorithm, a traffic survey method that involved the collection of floating car data along a major traffic road in Changchun City is employed. By comparing this forecast with the measured channel loads, the proposed KF-BCLF algorithm was proven to be effective. In addition, the CLF-BTPC algorithm is verified by simulating a section of eight-lane highway and a signal-controlled urban intersection. The results of the two verification process indicate that this distributed CLF-BTPC algorithm can effectively control channel load, prevent channel congestion, and enhance the stability and robustness of wireless beacon transmission in a vehicular network. PMID:26571042

Informational open houses for the Caldecott Improvement Project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-06-01

The Caldecott Improvement Project proposes to alleviate traffic congestion along State : Route 24 by adding a fourth bore to the Caldecott Tunnels. Environmental studies are : being conducted to identify long-term, permanent impacts of the project as...

High occupancy vehicle project case studies : historical trends and project experiences

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-08-01

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities represent one approach being used in many metropolitan areas today to respond to increasing traffic congestion, declining mobility levels, air quality and environmental concerns, and limited resources. HOV faci...

Does Compact Development Increase or Reduce Traffic Congestion?

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-10-01

From years of research, we know that compact development that is dense, diverse, well-designed, etc. produces fewer vehicle miles traveled (VMT) than sprawling development. But compact development also concentrates origins and destinations. No one ha...

Fort McHenry alternative transportation study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-06-01

This project assesses transportation management issues at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in the Locust Point area of Baltimore. Goals of the study include mitigating traffic congestion and idling of school or tour buses, encouragi...

Assessing the efficiency of mass transit systems in the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-01

Frustrated with increased parking problems, unstable gasoline prices, and stifling traffic congestion, a growing number of : metropolitan city dwellers consider utilizing the mass transit system. Reflecting this sentiment, a ridership of the mass tra...

Coordinating High-Resolution Traffic Cameras : Developing Intelligent, Collaborating Cameras for Transportation Security and Communications

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-01

Cameras are used prolifically to monitor transportation incidents, infrastructure, and congestion. Traditional camera systems often require human monitoring and only offer low-resolution video. Researchers for the Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) ...

Development of an analytical framework to rank pedestrian and cyclist projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

Worsening traffic congestion and air pollution, rising road maintenance and construction costs, and escalating health risks from obesity to cardiovascular disease are among major motives triggering the attention of transportation authorities to walki...

Priority, market-ready technologies and innovations list.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

Telephone services for travelers provide real-time information about work zones, traffic incidents, and other causes of congestion. They allow travelers to make more informed decisions about their travel routes or modes and increase safety by helping...

Connected commercial vehicles-integrated truck project : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

Connected vehicle wireless data communications can enable safety applications that may reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities suffered on our roads and highways, as well as enabling reductions in traffic congestion and effects on the environment. A...

Sharing resources, coordinating response : deploying and operating incident management systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-05

This brochure describes how cost-effective incident management technologies can be useful in handling traffic congestion. Embedded sensors, closed circuit television cameras, and variable message signs are examples of existing technologies that can b...

Simulation and analysis of three congested weigh stations using Westa

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

A user-friendly model for personal computers, "Vehicle/Highway Performance Predictor," was developed to estimate fuel consumption and exhaust emissions related to modes of vehicle operations on highways of various configurations and traffic controls ...

IVHS Institutional Issues And Case Studies: Advantage I-75 Case Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure describes how cost-effective incident management technologies can be in handling traffic congestion. Embedded sensors, closed circuit television cameras, and variable message signs are examples of existing technologies that can be enhan...

Analyzing traffic layout using dynamic social network analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-12

it is essential to build, maintain, and use our transportation systems in a manner that meets our current : needs while addressing the social and economic needs of future generations. In todays world, : transportation congestion causes serious neg...

Signal timing under saturated conditions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-11-01

This report provides guidance to practitioners for strategies and tactics that will help mitigate the effects of congestion at traffic signals. The focus was on methods that made use of settings wtihin the local intersection controller rather than on...

Washington State intelligent transportation systems architecture : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-12-20

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has long been a leader in the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Stemming from projects intended to address the severe traffic congestion in the Puget Sound region, WSDOT'...

Building better communities : a toolkit for quality growth

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

Across the country, Americans are talking about the pace of growth in their communities and the challenges associated with it. They are discussing how to manage future development, alleviate traffic congestion, prevent overcrowding in schools, preser...

Best practices and outreach for active traffic management : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

Continued growth in travel on congested freeway corridors and limited public funding for : expansion and improvement projects are limiting agencies abilities to provide sufficient roadway : capacity in major metropolitan areas. Focusing on trip re...

On a simulation study of cyber attacks on vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V2I) in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekedebe, Nnanna; Yu, Wei; Song, Houbing; Lu, Chao

2015-05-01

An intelligent transportation system (ITS) is one typical cyber-physical system (CPS) that aims to provide efficient, effective, reliable, and safe driving experiences with minimal congestion and effective traffic flow management. In order to achieve these goals, various ITS technologies need to work synergistically. Nonetheless, ITS's reliance on wireless connectivity makes it vulnerable to cyber threats. Thus, it is critical to understand the impact of cyber threats on ITS. In this paper, using real-world transportation dataset, we evaluated the consequences of cyber threats - attacks against service availability by jamming the communication channel of ITS. In this way, we can have a better understanding of the importance of ensuring adequate security respecting safety and life-critical ITS applications before full and expensive real-world deployments. Our experimental data shows that cyber threats against service availability could adversely affect traffic efficiency and safety performances evidenced by exacerbated travel time, fuel consumed, and other evaluated performance metrics as the communication network is compromised. Finally, we discuss a framework to make ITS secure and more resilient against cyber threats.

Leveraging the Strategic Value of the U.S. Inland Waterway System

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-14

on the highway system. Although commercial vehicles currently account for less than 10 percent of all vehicle-miles of travel , truck traffic is...growing faster than passenger vehicle traffic and is having major effects on intercity highways. Trucks already account for more than 30 percent of...seen by the traveling public as an unwanted competitor for space on congested highways, but that same public depends on trucking to meet the

Does rush hour see a rush of emotions? Driver mood in conditions likely to exhibit congestion

PubMed Central

Morris, Eric A; Hirsch, Jana A.

2016-01-01

Polls show that a large portion of the public considers traffic congestion to be a problem and believes a number of policy interventions would ameliorate it. However, most of the public rejects new taxes and fees to fund these improvements. This may be because of a disconnect between the public's stated antipathy towards congestion and the recalled emotional costs congestion imposes. To explore this, we use a large and representative sample drawn from the American Time Use Survey to examine how drivers experience four emotions (happiness, sadness, stress, and fatigue), plus a constructed composite mood variable, when they travel in peak periods, in large cities, in city centers, and in combinations of these. We also explore the interactions between these indicators and trip duration. We find evidence that drivers in the largest cities at the very peak of rush hour (5:00pm-6:00pm) are in a less positive mood, presumably because of congestion. However, this effect, though significant, is small, and we find no significant results using broader definitions of the peak period. In all, our findings suggest that congestion's impact on drivers as a group is quite limited. This may help explain why the public's attitude toward painful financial trade-offs to address congestion is lukewarm. PMID:27231669