Roads/Highways

The Los Angeles Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Evaluation: Site Selection and Database Development

Bertini, Robert
Petty, Karl
Skabardonis, Alexander
Varaiya, Pravin
1997

The Los Angeles Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Evaluation project is measuring the effectiveness of the FSP program on a specific freeway site in Los Angeles. This report describes the site selection and database development phases of the project. From an initial list of ten possible sites, detailed analysis was performed in order to rank the sites according to specific parameters developed by the study team. Site selection was based on congestion levels, average travel speeds, shoulder width, number of in-lane FSP assists, average daily traffic, directionality and the density of functional...

Time Benefits of New Transportation Technologies: The Case of Highway Automation

Hall, Randolph W.
1991

This paper examines the role of travel time in the choice of transportation technologies. First, the components of travel time are introduced and compared among alternative modes. Next, a series of highway automation concepts is created, and the time benefits of each are discussed. Finally, the effects of automation on highway performance are modeled and evaluated, first looking at the space efficiency of highways, then measuring the benefits of increased capacity and increased velocity.The paper demonstrates that even simple forms of highway automation can provide important travel time...

TMDD Standards Review Technical Memorandum

Peterson, Brian
2021

This document presents a review of the Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) standard, specifically version 3.03d with some analysis of the newest version 3.1, released in January 2020. The intention of this document is to provide a review of this standard for transmission of data between traffic management centers (TMCs), with specific commentary on usability of the standard with specific examples based on its implementation in the Caltrans I-210 Connected Corridors program. TMDD is published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), an international organization of...

PATH ITS Research Digests

Chira-Chavala, Ted
2001

Ramp meters are commonly used to relieve congestion on freeways. What is the value of these systems? Ramp metering can alleviate recurrent, regular traffic congestion, such as that caused by the daily commute. The goal is usually to maintain uninterrupted freeway flow at a certain acceptable level, but it transfers delay to the entrance ramp, where excess demand is forced to wait. This report summarizes ramp metering technologies, reviews the algorithms commonly used with them, and uses a traffic simulation model to identify the benefits and costs of using these systems. We used a...

Driving Intelligence Replacement in a Decision-Oriented Deployment Framework for Driving Automation

Tsao, H.-S. Jacob
Ran, Bin
1996

What some human drivers have done wrong has been blamed for much of the problem associated with the current highway systems. For example, driver inattention, fatigue and other human errors have often been cited as major sources of safety hazard on current highways and human capabilities as major limitations on current highway capacity. Such human deficiencies and the pervasive urban traffic congestion have motivated the concept of Automated Highway Systems (AHS). The fundamental objective of AHS is to achieve user and societal benefits through replacing human driving by automated machine...

Experimental Studies on High Speed Vehicle Steering Control with Magnetic Marker Referencing System

Tan, Han-Shue
Bougler, Bndicte
2000

This project is a one-and-half year research and experimental effort that builds on the results of as well as supplements the efforts in MOU 250, "Experimental Studies on Vehicle Control Systems." It focuses on an emerging issue of the high-speed steering control: how to conduct robust automatic vehicle steering control at highway speed based on a look-down lateral sensing system.

Automated Highway Systems Operating Strategies and Events: A Driver’s Perspective

Tsao, H.-S. Jacob
Hall, Randolph
Shladover, Steven
1997

Automated Highway Systems (AHS) have the potential for offering large capacity and safety gains without requiring significant amounts of additional right-of-way. Since the general public will be the users of the AHS, human factors must play a pivotal role in the research and development of AVCS technologies and AHS operation. This paper focuses on fully automated AHS.To ensure the identification of all major human factors issues, we have identified major options for operating fully automated AHS. These options are categorized in the following four dimensions: separation of traffic,...

California System Architecture For Intelligent Transportation: Models For Transportation Systems Management

Hall, Randolph
Thakker, Viral
1998

In 1996, the Federal Highway Administration completed a program to develop a national system architecture (NSA) for intelligent-transportation-systems. This report presents recommendations on methodologies by which system architecture can be used to improve the deployment of transportation management projects, with emphasis on multi-jurisdictional projects. The report is part of a larger project addressing the deployment of an ITS system architecture in California. The project as a whole is led by Claremont Graduate School, and is documented in a separate report.

Some Aspects of the Market for Broadcast Traffic Information

Malchow, Matthew
Kanafani, Adib
1999

In recent years, planners have looked toward traffic information systems as an immediate solution to the congestion on U.S. highways. ITS systems are low-cost relative to many alternatives, and simple implementation allows for quick results. Alongside these investments has been research investigating the use of information systems by drivers and the results to be expected. Many studies have shown that the primary source of information for drivers has been broadcast systems such as the radio (e.g. Yim et al., 1997). Additional research has addressed other media which are used to transmit...

Advanced Simulation Tools for Freeway Corridor Management

Gardes, Yonnel;
Tang, Eric
Ma, Jingtao
May, Adolf D.
2003

As part of the California PATH program, the Paramics microscopic traffic simulation model was applied to the I-580 freeway-arterial corridor. The main purposes of the project were two-fold:- Develop the expertise and transfer the knowledge required in calibrating a large-scale freeway corridor with Paramics;- Prepare a calibrated model for the I-580 corridor that could be used to address operational questions, evaluate potential improvement alternatives and provide input to the decision-making process.In agreement with Caltrans District 4 and Headquarters, the study focused on the...