The simulation, developed by the Maryland Transportation Institute, found significant benefits from implementing various common ATM strategies.
Statewide, Maryland, United States
Analyzing Travelers' Response to Different Active Traffic Management Technologies
Summary Information
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is in the process of developing modeling and simulation tools to analyze traffic patterns, demand, and behavior along key corridors in Maryland with the aim of implementing Active Transportation Management (ATM) strategies.
The Maryland Transportation Institute (MTI) research team developed an integrated travel behavior and dynamic traffic assignment modeling tool, and adapted it for real-time dynamic analysis of ATM strategies. The model was calibrated and validated using data from 2015, including hourly traffic counts and individual vehicle trajectories. The model was then applied to evaluate several proposed ATM strategies on the I-270 corridor in Maryland, including Variable Speed Limits (VSL), dynamic ramp metering, and assorted roadway improvements.
A series of performance measures were developed and employed to assess the effectiveness of each ATM strategy and evaluate the combined effect. Travel behavioral responses were also modeled and measured, including departure response times and driving behavior.
FINDINGS
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- A scenario that featured only the use of VSL found a delay reduction of 7.6 percent in the morning and 2 percent in the evening when compared with the base case, with both effects being statistically significant. This reduction is equivalent to saving between 5,000 and 10,000 hours of vehicle travel time daily. The reduction in average travel time was not found to be statistically significant.
- A scenario that featured only the use of ramp metering found a delay reduction of 16 percent in the morning and 2 percent in the evening, again with both effects being statistically significant.
- The scenario that examined the implementation of VSL, ramp metering, and the assorted roadway improvements—referred to as the "ATM scenario"—found a reduction in the morning average corridor travel time by 21 percent, reducing delay by 33 percent. The evening average corridor travel time was reduced by 14 percent, with a delay reduction of 15 percent.
- Significant departure time behavioral changes were found in response to ATM and the subsequent changes in traffic conditions. Travelers were more willing to switch back to peak-hour departure times, owing to the delay-reduction of ATM strategies; this ultimately resulted in a slightly increased peak travel time compared to a model in which travelers' start times were fixed.
