The purpose of the research reported here was to discover, or formulate, models for estimating usage of a welcome centre and to estimate the parameters for such a model. The literature review revealed that each rest area should be modelled separately by a simple proportion of the traffic passing by the rest area. Examination of three rest areas in Vermont for which extensive data collection was undertaken revealed peaking patterns and model parameters. In general, the greatest peaks occur on summer and fall holiday weekends. On Fridays, traffic peaks from noon to 8:00 p.m. On Saturdays, a sharp, high peak occurs between 10:00 a.m. and noon. The proportion of vehicles stopping at each rest area studied is reasonably consistent. A further study of peak Saturday proportion stopping confirmed the model as formulated and estimated parameters for the model.
Abstract