Empirical Traffic Engineering

The core of ths book presents a theory developed by the author to combine the recent insight into empirical data with mathematical models in freeway traffic research based on dynamical non-linear processes.

Data-Driven Traffic Engineering: Understanding of Traffic and Applications Based on Three-Phase Traffic Theory shifts the current focus from using modeling and simulation data for traffic measurements to the use of actual data. The book uses real-world, empirically-derived data from a large fleet of connected vehicles, local observations and aerial observation to shed light on key traffic phenomena. Readers will learn how to develop an understanding of the empirical features of vehicular traffic networks and how to consider these features in emerging, intelligent transport systems. Topics cover congestion patterns, fuel consumption, the influence of weather, and much more. This book offers a unique, data-driven analysis of vehicular traffic in traffic networks, also considering how to apply data-driven insights to the intelligent transport systems of the future. Provides an empirically-driven analysis of traffic measurements/congestion based on real-world data collected from a global fleet of vehicles Applies Kerner’s three-phase traffic theory to empirical data Offers a critical scientific understanding of the underlying concerns of traffic control in automated driving and intelligent transport systems

This book offers a detailed investigation of breakdowns in traffic and transportation networks. It shows empirically that transitions from free flow to so-called synchronized flow, initiated by local disturbances at network bottlenecks, display a nucleation-type behavior: while small disturbances in free flow decay, larger ones grow further and lead to breakdowns at the bottlenecks. Further, it discusses in detail the significance of this nucleation effect for traffic and transportation theories, and the consequences this has for future automatic driving, traffic control, dynamic traffic assignment, and optimization in traffic and transportation networks. Starting from a large volume of field traffic data collected from various sources obtained solely through measurements in real world traffic, the author develops his insights, with an emphasis less on reviewing existing methodologies, models and theories, and more on providing a detailed analysis of empirical traffic data and drawing consequences regarding the minimum requirements for any traffic and transportation theories to be valid. The book - proves the empirical nucleation nature of traffic breakdown in networks - discusses the origin of the failure of classical traffic and transportation theories - shows that the three-phase theory is incommensurable with the classical traffic theories, and - explains why current state-of-the art dynamic traffic assignments tend to provoke heavy traffic congestion, making it a valuable reference resource for a wide audience of scientists and postgraduate students interested in the fundamental understanding of empirical traffic phenomena and related data-driven phenomenology, as well as for practitioners working in the fields of traffic and transportation engineering.

Topics include a critical classification of models for highway traffic, new technological applications, friction and arching phenomena in pedestrian traffic, scale free networks and internet traffic, instabilities."--Jacket.

The understanding of empirical traf?c congestion occurring on unsignalized mul- lane highways and freeways is a key for effective traf?c management, control, or- nization, and other applications of transportation engineering. However, the traf?c ?ow theories and models that dominate up to now in transportation research journals and teaching programs of most universities cannot explain either traf?c breakdown or most features of the resulting congested patterns. These theories are also the - sis of most dynamic traf?c assignment models and freeway traf?c control methods, which therefore are not consistent with features of real traf?c. For this reason, the author introduced an alternative traf?c ?ow theory called three-phase traf?c theory, which can predict and explain the empirical spatiot- poral features of traf?c breakdown and the resulting traf?c congestion. A previous book “The Physics of Traf?c” (Springer, Berlin, 2004) presented a discussion of the empirical spatiotemporal features of congested traf?c patterns and of three-phase traf?c theory as well as their engineering applications. Rather than a comprehensive analysis of empirical and theoretical results in the ?eld, the present book includes no more empirical and theoretical results than are necessary for the understanding of vehicular traf?c on unsignalized multi-lane roads. The main objectives of the book are to present an “elementary” traf?c ?ow theory and control methods as well as to show links between three-phase traf?c t- ory and earlier traf?c ?ow theories. The need for such a book follows from many commentsofcolleaguesmadeafterpublicationofthebook“ThePhysicsofTraf?c”.

The purpose of this handbook is to collate, in one volume, basic traffic engineering information as a guide to the best practice in the field. It provides a day-to-day source of reference on the principles and proven techniques in the practice of traffic engineering. This fifth edition of the handbook contains the following chapters: (1) Introduction to Traffic Engineering, J.L. Pline; (2) Road Users, R. Dewar; (3) Vehicles, W.D. Glauz and D.W. Harwood; (4) Traffic and Flow Characteristics, M. Kyte and S. Teply; (5) Probability and Statistics for Engineers, S. Washington; (6) Effective Public Involvement, P.B. Noyes; (7) Community Safety, T.S. Bochum and T. Nguyen; (8) Traffic Regulation and Control, K. Kitzpatrick and G. Ullman; (9) Traffic Calming Applications, A.P. O'Brien and R.E. Brindle; (10) Access Management, F.J. Koepke; (11) Geometric Design of Highways, T.R. Neuman and R. Stafford; (12) Traffic Signs and Markings, R.R. Canfield; (13) Traffic Control Signals, R.S. Pusey and G.L. Butzer; (14) Parking and Terminals, W.A. Alroth; (15) Traffic Management, T. Hicks; and (16) Intelligent Transportation Systems, G. Euler.

This dissertation describes an empirical study of how changing conditions propagate in freeway traffic. To this end, curves of cumulative vehicle arrival number versus time were constructed from counts made at neighboring loop detector stations. These curves were modified and examined in ways that facilitated the study of traffic flow features at a level of detail not previously possible.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Next Generation Teletraffic and Wired/Wireless Advanced Networking, NEW2AN 2007. The 39 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 113 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on teletraffic, traffic characterization and modeling, 3G/UMTS, sensor networks, WLAN, QoS, MANETs, lower layer techniques, PAN technologies, and TCP.

A detailed exploration of the principles and practices of the design, operation, control, and management of highways and streets.

This textbook provides a comprehensive and instructive coverage of vehicular traffic flow dynamics and modeling. It makes this fascinating interdisciplinary topic, which to date was only documented in parts by specialized monographs, accessible to a broad readership. Numerous figures and problems with solutions help the reader to quickly understand and practice the presented concepts. This book is targeted at students of physics and traffic engineering and, more generally, also at students and professionals in computer science, mathematics, and interdisciplinary topics. It also offers material for project work in programming and simulation at college and university level. The main part, after presenting different categories of traffic data, is devoted to a mathematical description of the dynamics of traffic flow, covering macroscopic models which describe traffic in terms of density, as well as microscopic many-particle models in which each particle corresponds to a vehicle and its driver. Focus chapters on traffic instabilities and model calibration/validation present these topics in a novel and systematic way. Finally, the theoretical framework is shown at work in selected applications such as traffic-state and travel-time estimation, intelligent transportation systems, traffic operations management, and a detailed physics-based model for fuel consumption and emissions.