Improved concepts and methods for accurate estimation of traffic volume, vehicle composition, traffic flow characteristics, and accident rates for canadian highways

高速公路机构将其财政和人力资源的很大一部分用于开展各种类型的数据收集计划。他们使用永久交通计数器（PTC），自动车辆分类器和样本计数来收集交通量和分类数据，这些数据在确定重要的公路规划和设计参数中起着非常重要的作用。公路机构还收集和调查事故数据，为道路使用者提供高水平的安全。 本研究的主要目的是开发改进的概念和方法，估计交通量，车辆组成，交通流量的特点，事故率为加拿大的高速公路。研究将利用公路机构提供的交通和事故数据。气象站和阿尔伯塔公路气象信息系统提供的国家气候数据将提供有关天气参数的信息。现代统计和计算技术将用于实现本研究的目标。 从冬季几个月的样本交通量统计中估计平均年日交通量的研究将有助于各机构通过将短期统计扩展到冬季几个月来制定有效的监测方案。从研究的PTC与缺失的数据记录的研究结果将允许公路机构，以最大限度地利用部分记录的数据。对卡车交通的调查将导致公路机构以比目前更具有成本效益的方式收集和处理卡车交通数据。更好地了解天气对公路安全的影响，对于制定减少公路上与天气有关的撞车率的政策非常重要。此外，连续除雪之间的碰撞率的变化的知识将是非常有用的公路机构规划有效的除雪政策。对恶劣天气条件下交通流特性的拟议研究将有助于各机构制定更好的交通管理策略和运营政策。

Highway agencies commit a significant portion of their financial and personnel resources to undertaking various types of data collection programs. They use permanent traffic counters (PTC), automatic vehicle classifiers, and sample counts to collect traffic volume and classification data, which play a very important role in the determination of essential highway planning and design parameters. Highway agencies also gather and investigate accident data to provide a high level of safety to road users. The main purpose of this research is to develop improved concepts and methods for estimation of traffic volume, vehicle composition, traffic flow characteristics, and accidents rates for Canadian highways. Research will utilize traffic and accident data available from highway agencies. National Climate Data available from weather stations and Alberta's Road Weather Information Systems will provide information about weather parameters. Modern statistical and computational techniques will be used to accomplish the objectives of this research. The research on estimation of the average annual daily traffic from sample traffic counts taken during winter months will help agencies to develop efficient monitoring programs by extending short duration counting to winter months. The outcome of research from study of PTCs with missing data records will allow highway agencies to maximize utilization of partially recorded data. The investigation of truck traffic will lead highway agencies to collect and process truck traffic data in a more cost-effective manner than at present. A better understanding of the impact of weather on highway safety will be highly important in developing policies that reduce weather-related crash rates on highways. Also, the knowledge about changes in collision rates between successive snow removals will be very useful for highway agencies to plan for efficient snow clearance polices. The proposed research on traffic stream characteristics during adverse weather conditions will help agencies in developing better traffic management strategies and operating polices.