Many of the major traffic routes in metropolitan Melbourne are operating beyond capacity, causing significant peak period congestion. A number of techniques have been previously employed to manage traffic demand, many being provided by using the facilities offered by the traffic signal operation via SCATS (Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System). However the techniques including signal linking had not proven to be particularly effective in very congested environments. To maintain passage of the current traffic volumes there is a need to address the queuing and the delays to vehicles, and to ensure the behaviour of the system is consistent and predictable. This meant some other measures needed to be investigated. A study of traffic gating techniques has been tested on sites on Wellington Road, Melbourne. The traffic gating limits the traffic flow into a sensitive area by restraining the traffic at other locations. The gating distributes the queues, allowing safe access from side roads. Results from the investigation indicate there were slight improvements in overall travel time and an increase in traffic volume passing through the network. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214755.
Abstract