This document presents an evaluation plan for the TravInfo project, a field operational test of a centralized database in the San Francisco Bay Area. The TravInfo Evaluation Plan is prepared in accordance with the Mitre guidelines adopted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for IVHS Operational Test Evaluation Plans. The report consists of five major sections: introduction, traveler response component, institutional component, technology assessment, and system evaluation.
This paper presents the findings of a survey conducted among callers of a San Francisco BayArea telephone information service. A Bay Area traveler information system, TravInfo, has beenin operation since September 1996. In April 1997, a survey of TravInfo callers was conductedover a two-week period. The paper compares the call making and demographic characteristics ofthose who asked for traffic information and of those who asked for transit information. Changesin travel behavior after the calls were made were also investigated. The key findings of the studywere that the people who called...
This paper reports on the first phase of the location technology evaluation for probe vehicles. Two technologies were evaluated, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and the cellular phone tracking technology developed by US Wireless. Although GPS has shown great potential for vehicle probes, much of the previous research is theoretical in nature. Very little work has been done in the areas of experimental research, implementation or deployment. Most of the field tests were anecdotal; a systematic approach is highly desired to develop a vehicle probe system that is reliable and efficient for...
This report presents the findings of a study of commercial motor vehicle inspection and screening station practices with a focus on the use of various technologies to help address problems related to safety, security, roadway infrastructure, and air quality. A review of industry literature identified the various types of inspection and screening practices that have been and are being implemented including weight and size management, on-board equipment checking, driver-related violations and cargo monitoring, credential checking, and exhaust emissions monitoring. The review also identified...
This research investigates the feasibility and the business case for purchasing third‐party probe data and fusing it with Caltrans’ existing data for the purpose of estimating travel times. The intent was to demonstrate an efficient and cost-effective use of alternative traffic data sources to complement the detection systems currently installed and operated by Caltrans.
Traffic data is used to estimate current traffic conditions so that travelers and agencies can make better decisions about how to use and manage the transportation network. This research explores the fusion of probe data (vehicle speed and direction) with loop data (density, speed, and count) in the context of producing overall network speed and travel time estimates. Speed and travel time estimates are useful in many circumstances, but current system control strategies (ramp metering, for example) require density data. While it is difficult to significantly increase the quantity of loop...
