Effects of Weather Conditions on Motorway Lane Flow Distributions

Several factors affect the lane choices made by motorway drivers. According to the driving rules, the nearside lane is the one that is primarily used. The main reasons for lane changes are overtaking, congestion, or restrictions on other lanes. The empirical research presented in this paper presents comprehensive traffic characteristics observed in different traffic lanes on four-lane motorways in Slovenia. The research was focused on the influence of adverse weather conditions on the lane flow distribution, and on the speed of vehicles in different lanes. The lane flow and speed distributions both directly affect road capacity and safety; therefore, estimating these characteristics could improve the reliability of active traffic control when traffic flow perturbation is detected. Field test results show that lane flow distributions and lane speed distributions at a particular site vary depending on weather conditions, namely, dry, wet (rain), low-visibility, and snow conditions.</p

Requirements for interoperable Intelligent Transport Systems in South East Europe

Transport integration in South East Europe (SEE) is a fundamental pre-requisite for regional cohesion and development. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications can play an important role in transport infrastructure management and traveler information provision throughout the SEE area. This paper presents the results of study focused on the identification and description of the requirements for interoperable ITS for integrated traffic management and ITS deployment. The key outcome of the study is the identification of the requirements for interoperable ITS along regional, national an urban transport networks

Requirements for interoperable Intelligent Transport Systems in South East Europe

Transport integration in South East Europe (SEE) is a fundamental pre-requisite for regional cohesion and development. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications can play an important role in transport infrastructure management and traveler information provision throughout the SEE area. This paper presents the results of study focused on the identification and description of the requirements for interoperable ITS for integrated traffic management and ITS deployment. The key outcome of the study is the identification of the requirements for interoperable ITS along regional, national an urban transport networks

European university-community partnership-based research on urban sustainability and resilience

Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS) project is based on the partnership between decision makers in local authorities with SMEs and academic institutions to develop and demonstrate transition strategies for urban resilience and sustainability. Out of eleven case study sites, three are presented in this brief, including: brownfield redevelopment in London, community mobilisation around underutilisation of urban sites in Dublin, and a web portal for sustainable mobility in Ljubljana

Motorway traffic characterisation for the Slovenian traffic control system

Zanesljivost podatkov in ustrezna kratkoročna napoved prometa imata zelo pomembno vlogo pri upravljanju avtocestnega prometa, še posebej v povezavi s sistemom nadzora in vodenja prometa ter sistemom informiranja udeležencev o izrednih dogodkih v prometu. Temeljijo na modelih, ki se učijo z uporabo značilnih vzorcev prometnih stanj, podanih z različnimi karakteristikami prometnega toka v času in prostoru, ki smo jih imenovali profili prometnega toka. Njihov pomen je povezan z značilnimi dogodki v preteklosti, kar bo aktualno, vse dokler ne bo znano prometno povpraševanje, ki bo določeno z najavo prihoda posameznega vozila. Tako smo analizirali različne poznane metode gručenja in predlagali najprimernejšo, s katero želimo določiti med seboj izključujoče, homogene skupine značilnih dogodkov – profile značilk karakteristik prometnega toka s poudarkom na dnevnem profilu pretoka vseh vozil ter težkih vozil, neodvisno od mesta meritve in družbenega okolja. Določitev skupin profilov prometnega toka in njihovih značilk je eno izmed dejanj, s katerimi lahko določimo poljuben matematični prometni model obstoječega prometnega stanja v znanih cestno-vremenskih razmerah. A prometnega modela ni možno definirati brez poznavanja razporeditve in razpršenosti karakteristik prometnega toka po prometnih pasovih smernega vozišča avtoceste, ki smo ga poimenovali prečni profil prometnega toka. Iz obeh profilov se lahko naučimo, kakšne so skrajne vrednosti karakteristik prometnega toka v času in prostoru. Na podlagi teh in glede na dejavnike okolja lahko določimo, preverimo in spreminjamo merila vodenja prometa. Tako je izvedena empirična raziskava, s katero smo določili model vpliva cestno-vremenskih razmer na prečni profil prometnega toka. Z uporabo mikrosimulacijskega prometnega modela smo prikazali pomen natančne karakterizacije prometnih tokov za potrebe sistema za nadzor in vodenje prometa na avtocesti. Zamude, ki smo jih izračunali s prometnim modelom, vgrajenim v računalniški program PTV Vissim, smo primerjali z referenčnim scenarijem brez vodenja prometa, a pri različnih cestno-vremenskih in enakih prometnih pogojih. Zamude so na določenem območju avtocestne mreže lahko mera uspešnosti vodenja prometa in hkrati kazalnik intenzivnosti zastojev, zato je pomembno poznavanje rezultata, da enako vrednost mere uspešnosti dosežemo pri različni vrednosti gostote prometnega toka ob različnih cestno vremenskih razmerah.The reliability of traffic data and useful short-term traffic forecasts play a very important role in the management of motorway traffic, especially in connection with real-time traffic control systems and the provision of traffic and travel information to road users regarding unexpected incidents. What follows are learning based models which use typical traffic patterns that have different traffic flow characteristics in relation to time and space, and which we refer to as “profiles of traffic flow characteristics” or in short “traffic profiles”. Their significance is related to distinct historical events, which are current until the known traffic demand is determined, which will be determined by the arrival of a particular vehicle. Therefore, we analysed various known clustering methods and proposed the one we considered most suitable to define specific groups of typical and representative time-based profiles of traffic flow characteristics with an emphasis on the daily traffic flow profile of all vehicles and heavy vehicles, regardless of the location of the measurement station and the social environment. Finding representative profiles of traffic flow characteristics is one of the steps by which we can determine any mathematical traffic-state estimation model for predicted road and environmental conditions. A traffic model cannot be defined without knowing the lane flow distribution, the speed distribution and variability of other traffic flow characteristics across the traffic lanes of the motorway in both directions, which we refer to as “lane distribution of motorway traffic” or “cross-sectional traffic profile”. From both profiles we can learn the peak values of traffic flow characteristics in terms of time and space. Based on these and their relationship to environmental factors, we can determine, review and update traffic control algorithms and criteria. Accordingly, an empirical study was carried out to determine the effect of weather conditions on the lane distribution of motorway traffic. Using a micro-simulation traffic model, we showed the importance of precise traffic characterisation for the needs of the traffic control system on motorways. Delays, calculated with the PTV Vissim traffic simulation model, were compared with the results obtained using reference scenarios without traffic control, but under different road and weather conditions and in the same traffic conditions. If delays in a certain area of a motorway network are a measure of the effectiveness of traffic control, and at the same time an indicator of the degree of congestion, then it is important to know the result that the same value of the measure of effectiveness is achieved at different traffic flow density values under different weather conditions

Razvoj prometnic v območju mednarodnega mejnega prehoda Vrtojba

Republika Slovenija je del Evropske unije. Z odpravo meja (prosti pretok blaga) se spreminjajo tudi prometne funkcije na območjih mednarodnih mejnih prehodov med državami članicami. Mednje spada tudi mednarodni mejni prehod med R Italijo in R Slovenijo v Vrtojbi. Obmejni občini Šempeter-Vrtojba in Gorica (Italija) zato že pripravljata ureditveni načrt izrabe prostora in zagotavljanja prometne dosegljivosti širšega območja prehoda za čas po odpravi t. i. schengenske meje (prosti pretok oseb). Posebno pomembna je ustrezna zasnova cest, ki mora omogočiti, da bo ta prostor enotno in enakovredno vključen v cestna sistema obeh sosednjih držav. »Komunalna« cesta, ki zdaj vodi čez mejni prehod, bo zaradi te spremembe pridobila status avtoceste (hitre ceste), kar pomeni, da je na njej pričakovati velike potovalne hitrosti in spremenjen režim priključevanja nanjo. Zdajšnja ureditev ima preveč individualnih priključkov, obstaja pa tudi možnost obračanja in celo parkiranja (v Italiji). V članku so predstavljene rešitve oziroma predlogi za sistemsko preureditev sedanje ceste prek MMP v avtocesto in način navezovanja cestnih mrež v obeh sosednjih občinah nanjo. Prikazani so tudi predlogi preureditve oziroma dopolnitve zdajšnjih lokalnih cestnih mrež in železniške infrastrukture (ureditev intermodalnega terminala) ter prometni režim na cestah, da bi bila raba prostora sedanjega MMP Vrtojba čim učinkovitejša in prostorsko čim manj obremenjujoča