This paper presents a new technique for calibrating the TRANSYT platoon dispersion parameters. This technique is based on a statistical analysis of the link travel time data. Specifically, the new technique directly relates the platoon dispersion parameters to the on-road average link travel time and the corresponding standard deviation. This new technique is considered to be ideally suited for the real-time traffic signal control strategies and the advanced traffic management applications where the required link travel times can be directly obtained from the vehicle probes. The research in this paper also uses the link travel time data collected from the selected coordinated traffic signals in the city of Houston to demonstrate the difference between the new technique and the traditional method for determining the platoon dispersion parameter values. If the proposed technique can be incorporated into a traffic responsive signal control system where the platoon dispersion parameters are calibrated from the real-time link travel time statistics, the predictions of the platoon dispersions can then be made site specific and more accurate, the traffic signal timings can be better optimized, and the total delays, stops, fuel consumption and emissions can be further reduced. (A)
Abstract