The primary objective of this study is to develop a methodology capable of rapidly scanning a large network for the most vulnerable sections. Detailed measurements of traffic data for the main motorway E40 traversing the study area were used to gain insight into the extent of reliability problems on the Flemish road network. We used the model Indy to reproduce the measured data and to predict the measured travel time variations. The calibrated model was subsequently used to simulate the consequences of grave incidents on selected road sections of the network. Based on an analysis of the typical stages of a road incident a number of vulnerability indicators were formulated. Using these indicators the most important bottlenecks in the network can be selected and subjected to a closer examination. (Author/publisher)
Abstract