Report

This report describes several algorithms for incident detection. An algorithm based on lane data was specified and tested. This algorithm was compared with existing algorithms for two months of data. It appeared that the lane algorithm and the McMaster algorithms gave bad results. Most of the incidents were detected, but also a lot of false alarms were generated. The other two algorithms did better giving a smaller amount of false alarms, but they didn’t detect that much incidents or they detected incidents too slow. For algorithms improvements are possible, especially in the parameters settings.

This report is the result of research on the relation between incident management (IM) and its effects on traffic flow and safety. The research was conducted in several parts. The first step was to see how an incident influences the safety of other risk groups and the traffic flow on the road. The effect on traffic flow was quantified in capacity reduction factors. When these effects were clarified, it was possible to test the effects of the IM-policy on safety and the traffic flow. After that, some in-depth research was done into the interaction between safety and traffic flow.

This report describes research done on determining the state of the traffic on a road, using data from loop detectors and video cameras. The loop detectors measure speeds and flows on cross-sections, while the cameras measure travel time. The subject of the research was to look at the possibilities of using the travel time measurements in combination with the flow and speed measurements (datafusion) for a more accurate estimation of the situation on a road. For this new methods were developed and assessed. One of methods involved the use of a traffic model.

This report describes the research done to develop a new method that estimates an a-priori matrix from measured floating car data (FCD). The purpose of estimating this matrix is to increase the quality of the input for OD matrix estimation methods and hence to improve the estimation itself. In addition, the report describes methods to use the FCD to analyse route choices and trip lengths. The results for the a-priori matrix and the route choice are used, together with traffic counts, to estimate OD matrices. Finally, the report describes a complete OD matrix estimation method.

This MSc report studies a new ramp metering algorithm. Ramp metering has been introduced on the Amsterdam A10 beltway several years ago. In the near future, the remaining main on-ramps along the beltway A10 will be equipped with ramp metering as well. In addition, a new algorithm (HERO) for coordinated control of the whole ramp metering system will be initiated. However, the effects and consequences of this implementation are unclear to the Dutch government and therefore an simulation study was performed, assessing the new control algorithm by comparing coordinated ramp metering to no control and local control. Also, possible improvements of the HERO algorithm were… Read More »Coordination of ramp metering control in motorway networks

In this report results are described of research on the improvement of the demand-capacity ramp metering algorithm. The improvement consists of adding an on-line capacity estimator to the control application in the ramp meter. Various capacity estimation methods are reviewed. Finally, four methods were selected and implemented with the ramp meter control application in a simulation environment. Also, other ramp metering algorithms have been reviewed, of which two have been implemented in the simulation as well. The RWS ramp-metering algorithm has been implemented as reference. From the results of the simulations, it was concluded that by adding a capacity estimator to the control application, the performance of the demand-capacity algorithm… Read More »Adaptive ramp metering

The port of Rotterdam is one of the biggest ports in the world. The accessibility by road is vulnerable. Highway A15 is the hinterland connection of the port, but the recurrent congestion and the high number of incidents cause long delays and unreliable travel times. Also, the large scale road works Rijkswaterstaat is planning will not improve the situation during these road works. Beside other traffic management measures, route guidance is a way to improve the usage of the infrastructure. In this thesis, a route guidance control strategy to divert traffic, based on travel times on certain routes, was developed.… Read More »Alternatieve routes A15 Maasvlakte-Vaanplein

Time slot allocation is a type of traffic planning in the time-space dimensions, of which the key characteristic is that infrastructure users have to reserve a ‘slot’ on the network before departure. The mechanism of time slot allocation follows the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) principle and they are controlled by different time slot settings. Minimizing the cost of difference between cumulative desired demand and cumulative optimum demand is the main purpose for the methodology, taking capacity as a constraint. Situations with late departure only and both early and late departure with costs for non-linear programming are considered and mathematical formulations are established. The objective function, using the motorway A15 as a… Read More »Allocating departure time slot to optimize dynamic network capacity

At the end of 2007 a new route guidance application for individual road travellers became available: a dynamic route guidance system (DRGS). Dynamic route guidance systems, which do incorporate traffic information, could improve route choice and travel times. However, if a significant amount of travellers will use these systems, the advantage of getting information is decreasing. Besides that, it is questionable to what extent these system are capable of informing the travellers accurate and moreover what are the consequences of non-accurate and imperfect information. A third aspect is, that it is unlikely that all equipped travellers will fully follow the… Read More »The influence of dynamic route guidance systems on traffic management

Dynamic Traffic Management (DTM) is a means to increase road infrastructure efficiency. Decision-making about DTM in the Netherlands is hampered by a lack of knowledge of impacts, costs and benefits of network-wide DTM. A suitable evaluation methodology is required to gain this knowledge. The current evaluation methodology of Rijkswaterstaat is developed for evaluation of local DTM measures and may no longer be suitable to evaluate network-wide DTM. In this report a new methodology for DTM evaluation is proposed, using a theory-based approach. The proposed evaluation methodology offers a step-by-step method to formulate relevant evaluation questions in a structured manner and these can… Read More »Ex-post evaluation of network-wide DynamicTraffic Management