ANALYSIS OF POSSIBILITIES FOR THE USE OF VOLUME-DELAY FUNCTIONS IN THE PLANNING MODULE OF THE TRISTAR SYSTEM

Abstract

Travel time is a measure commonly used for traffic flow modelling and traffic control. It also helps to evaluate the quality of traffic control systems in urban areas. Traffic control systems that use traffic models to predict changes and disruptions in vehicle flows have to use vehicle speed-prediction models. Travel time estimation studies the effects of traffic volumes on a street section at an average speed. The TRISTAR Integrated Transport Management System, currently being deployed across the Tri-City (Gdansk, Sopot, Gdynia), is almost completed and data obtained from the System can be useful for the development of prediction models. A procedure for travel speed model selection for the Tri-City street network is presented in this paper. Matching of chosen volume-delay functions to the data obtained from the TRISTAR has been tested. Analyses have shown insufficient matching of functions that does not justify the possibility of their use in traffic control due to variability in different conditions of traffic, weather and, in the case of an incident, which justifies the need for further research aimed at satisfying matching of functions depending on the above-mentioned factors.

Keywords

• volume-delay function
• modelling
• ITS
• vehicle speed