Reliability of motorway operation
Event details
| Date | 14.03.2013 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Werner Brilon |
| Location |
GC C330
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Traditionally, traffic on highways is planned and operated with respect to the objectives safety, efficiency, ecology, and cost effectiveness. Meanwhile, however, the target of reliability is turning out as a dominating aspect of traffic performance.
Reliability is the probability that a highway facility can be used with a sufficient performance which reasonably can be expected as a minimum by road users. Times of congestion with significantly lower speeds constitute a breakdown of traffic flow. Breakdowns due to excessive traffic demand can be analysed using theoretical approaches obtained from lifetime statistics. The probability of traffic volumes which cause a breakdown can be described by a Weibull-distribution.
In addition to temporary overload, delays to traffic are also caused by work-zones and accidents/incidents. These occasional events are the source of major economic losses.
To investigate the consequences of unreliability of traffic operation on motorways it seems to be necessary to study the occurrence of congestion over longer periods, e.g. for a whole year (whole year analysis, WYA). This method makes it possible to analyse the combined effects from traffic engineering therapy and organisational treatments. WYA can also include effects of weather, accidents, and incidents on traffic performance. This approach to modern traffic engineering by reliability is receiving increased attention in several countries worldwide.
To increase reliability of motorway traffic a bundle of actions might be taken which go far beyond the traditional approach of traffic engineering. Some solutions as examples for technical approaches can be: traffic adaptive speed control, ramp metering, overtaking restrictions for trucks, etc. However, in many cases organizational approaches become far more efficient than technical solutions. Examples are: demand management, intelligent workzone scheduling, variable tolls, changes of rules for the police to clear places of accidents and incidents, penalties for drivers or vehicles owners who block the road by incidents or accidents, and others. Moreover, education of drivers towards smooth traffic behaviour may improve the reliability under traffic demand levels near capacity. Also everything which helps to avoid accidents supports reliability since an accident is always a major source of impediments to traffic flow.
Bio: Prof. Brilon graduated from Karlsruhe University Germany, where he also got his phd. He started his career as an official with the state highway administration in Germany where he finally worked at the state ministry of transportation in Stuttgart, Germany. He got his professorship at the Ruhr-University Bochum in 1983. He teached traffic engineering and transportation planning until 2009. During his university career he was conducting many research projects, mainly on topics of
motorway traffic analysis, unsignalized and signalized intersections and other areas. He was and is still involved in several technical committees in Germany and in the US. Among others, he was member of the scientific advisory board to the federal minister of transport. At the moment he is still chairman of the committee for the development of the next German Highway Capacity Manual.
Reliability is the probability that a highway facility can be used with a sufficient performance which reasonably can be expected as a minimum by road users. Times of congestion with significantly lower speeds constitute a breakdown of traffic flow. Breakdowns due to excessive traffic demand can be analysed using theoretical approaches obtained from lifetime statistics. The probability of traffic volumes which cause a breakdown can be described by a Weibull-distribution.
In addition to temporary overload, delays to traffic are also caused by work-zones and accidents/incidents. These occasional events are the source of major economic losses.
To investigate the consequences of unreliability of traffic operation on motorways it seems to be necessary to study the occurrence of congestion over longer periods, e.g. for a whole year (whole year analysis, WYA). This method makes it possible to analyse the combined effects from traffic engineering therapy and organisational treatments. WYA can also include effects of weather, accidents, and incidents on traffic performance. This approach to modern traffic engineering by reliability is receiving increased attention in several countries worldwide.
To increase reliability of motorway traffic a bundle of actions might be taken which go far beyond the traditional approach of traffic engineering. Some solutions as examples for technical approaches can be: traffic adaptive speed control, ramp metering, overtaking restrictions for trucks, etc. However, in many cases organizational approaches become far more efficient than technical solutions. Examples are: demand management, intelligent workzone scheduling, variable tolls, changes of rules for the police to clear places of accidents and incidents, penalties for drivers or vehicles owners who block the road by incidents or accidents, and others. Moreover, education of drivers towards smooth traffic behaviour may improve the reliability under traffic demand levels near capacity. Also everything which helps to avoid accidents supports reliability since an accident is always a major source of impediments to traffic flow.
Bio: Prof. Brilon graduated from Karlsruhe University Germany, where he also got his phd. He started his career as an official with the state highway administration in Germany where he finally worked at the state ministry of transportation in Stuttgart, Germany. He got his professorship at the Ruhr-University Bochum in 1983. He teached traffic engineering and transportation planning until 2009. During his university career he was conducting many research projects, mainly on topics of
motorway traffic analysis, unsignalized and signalized intersections and other areas. He was and is still involved in several technical committees in Germany and in the US. Among others, he was member of the scientific advisory board to the federal minister of transport. At the moment he is still chairman of the committee for the development of the next German Highway Capacity Manual.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Nikolas Geroliminis & Prof. Katrin Beyer
Contact
- Prof. Nikolas Geroliminis