Reliability of travel times and robustness of transport networks
bookPart
The ever increasing mobility of the population in many countries means the arterial road network is subject to heavy usage; in many places, it is almost fully used during rush hours. This not only causes
many daily recurring traffic jams, but also leads to increased vulnerability of the road network. A small accident or heavy rainfall may be all it takes to trigger huge delays affecting large parts of the
network in a short period of time. The result is that travel times are increasingly unpredictable in heavily congested networks.
Road users place a high value on the predictability of their travel times. Studies indicate that road users consider predictability to be even more important than solving the congestion problem. The development of a robust road network meets this need for predictability. A robust network is much less susceptible to disruptions and thus increases the predictability of travel times.
In this chapter, we elaborate the relationship between road network robustness and travel time reliability. In Section 3.2 (definitions, relationships and examples), we provide definitions for the
various terms related to network robustness and travel-time reliability. Furthermore, we analyze the relationships between the various factors that, in the end, influence travel-time reliability. By means of an example, we also show how road networks are becoming more and more vulnerable. In Section 3.3, we demonstrate how vulnerable parts (roads and intersections) of a road network might be identified by using selection criteria and modeling techniques. In a subsequent section (Section 3.4), we describe how the robustness of a road network might be improved, i.e., how a road network can be made less vulnerable. Based on the general principles outlined, a robust arterial structure is drawn up for the road network in the Rotterdam—The Hague metropolitan area (Section 3.5.) Finally, in Section 3.6, the major conclusions of this chapter will be presented.
In this chapter the focus is on road infrastructure. This does not negate the fact that other measures such as, for instance, transportation management, mobility management, incident management, traffic management and road maintenance, form an integral part of a robust road network. Also the availability of other modalities (e.g., public transport and bicycles for individuals, and railways and inland shipping for goods) play an important role—whether or not in combination with the roads. we illustrate our methods by using examples from the Netherlands and Belgium, but obviously these methods could easily be applied to other urban areas throughout the world.
many daily recurring traffic jams, but also leads to increased vulnerability of the road network. A small accident or heavy rainfall may be all it takes to trigger huge delays affecting large parts of the
network in a short period of time. The result is that travel times are increasingly unpredictable in heavily congested networks.
Road users place a high value on the predictability of their travel times. Studies indicate that road users consider predictability to be even more important than solving the congestion problem. The development of a robust road network meets this need for predictability. A robust network is much less susceptible to disruptions and thus increases the predictability of travel times.
In this chapter, we elaborate the relationship between road network robustness and travel time reliability. In Section 3.2 (definitions, relationships and examples), we provide definitions for the
various terms related to network robustness and travel-time reliability. Furthermore, we analyze the relationships between the various factors that, in the end, influence travel-time reliability. By means of an example, we also show how road networks are becoming more and more vulnerable. In Section 3.3, we demonstrate how vulnerable parts (roads and intersections) of a road network might be identified by using selection criteria and modeling techniques. In a subsequent section (Section 3.4), we describe how the robustness of a road network might be improved, i.e., how a road network can be made less vulnerable. Based on the general principles outlined, a robust arterial structure is drawn up for the road network in the Rotterdam—The Hague metropolitan area (Section 3.5.) Finally, in Section 3.6, the major conclusions of this chapter will be presented.
In this chapter the focus is on road infrastructure. This does not negate the fact that other measures such as, for instance, transportation management, mobility management, incident management, traffic management and road maintenance, form an integral part of a robust road network. Also the availability of other modalities (e.g., public transport and bicycles for individuals, and railways and inland shipping for goods) play an important role—whether or not in combination with the roads. we illustrate our methods by using examples from the Netherlands and Belgium, but obviously these methods could easily be applied to other urban areas throughout the world.
TNO Identifier
489604
Source title
Handbook of Transportation Engineering. Volume I: Systems and Operations
Pages
1-30
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