Sustainability of Transportation Systems: Modeling Traffic Operations and Safety

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This research program aims to provide transportation analysts with a robust modeling tool to assess the reliability of reserved-lane facilities as they are contribute to the sustainability of transportation systems. The research program is divided into three stages.*** The first stage investigates how previously developed multimodal routing algorithms can be integrated into existing traffic simulation models, more specifically, when applied to reserved-lanes. The main challenge in this first part of the project is to realistically model the impact of conflicting movements and of interactions between vehicles at specific locations (i.e. signalized intersections, highway interchanges, etc.). These category of transportation facilities are critical for estimating reliable travel times along a given highway network. In many transportation applications it is important to accurately estimate travel times to successfully benefit from their deployments.  Additionally, modeling the travel times on a multimodal network will assist travelers in choosing optimal routes at the pre-trip planning stage, as well as making more informed decisions, on-route, via real-time routing tools. In addition, it is believed that modeling transportation networks can contribute more accurately to the sustainable development of the transportation network by assisting decision makers in promoting appropriate transportation management policies.*** The second stage of the research program investigates the safety benefits of specific technology deployments for traffic control systems. This stage of the research program encompasses two distinct components, related by the common data collection sources. The research team will collect traffic data in the form of vehicle count, speeds, and driving behavioral parameters (i.e. lane changing and car-following behavior) via video detection and processing equipment. The data collected will be used to conduct statistical analysis to identify how traffic enforcement measures traffic safety. *** In the third stage, the research team will validate the developed models with different types of reserved-lane facilities and intersection configurations. The purpose is to propose comprehensive simulation models that can be used to build more reliable and realistic routing algorithms embedded into various ITS deployments. Additionally, the transportation authorities may use the results of this research program to analyze the trade-offs between the safety benefits and the impact on traffic operations, and to determine a set of objective warrants assisting with deployment of ITS speed enforcement equipment. Ultimately, the program will train graduate and undergraduate students in the area of ITS analysis and traffic simulation specialists, therefore addressing the current shortage of expertise in both public and private sectors.*** **