This article describes the collection of traffic data on the French A31 motorway, which is one of the DRIVE MELYSSA project sites. The aim of the project is to collect information about driver behaviour (speed and vehicle spacing) and to ascertain the effect upon this of speed limits imposed by Variable Message Signs (VMS). Details about the measurements taken by the inductive loop detectors to measure headways and speed are presented. These include speed, headways, stopping distances and platoon composition under various weather conditions. The proximity indicators used in calculations are also presented and discussed, as is the algorithm used to determine the dynamics of a vehicle or platoon from one sensor to the next.
Abstract