A method is undergoing development within the framework of the R&D project stadtinfokoeln which is designed to inform visitors to the City of Cologne, as soon as they reach the periphery of the city, as to current travel times required at any given time both by motorized individual traffic (MIT) and public transport services bound for the inner city. The idea behind this is to enable the visitors to take decisions with regard to whether to travel MIT or to make use of public transport, decisions which, when taken under these circumstances, make most sense from the point of view of the current traffic situation overall and best accommodate the city's requirements. It is anticipated that this will automatically bring about a modal split which will reduce losses in travel time and ultimately strengthen the quality of life in the city in a sustainable manner. Collective MIT-travel time is to be measured automatically and on an ongoing basis. No use whatsoever will be made of personal vehicle-registration numbers. MAVE, a method of correlative measurement, which has already furnished ample evidence of its efficiency on motorways, will be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the particular characteristics of the city-road and street situation and will also undergo further development. The process does not require the use of additional equipment of any description in or on the vehicle. It, therefore, works successfully with any vehicle-fleet combination. Inductive loops are used as vehicle sensors. The implementation of the method involves dividing the city-network's main roads into sections, each of which borders at each end on one of the main junctions. Every 30 seconds the collective travel time is calculated for each section, and the details are transmitted to the city's Central Traffic Computer. This is then where the current comparison of MIT and public-transport travel times takes place. The result of the comparison is conveyed to the road-user on a continuous basis with the use, amongst others, of variable message signs or GPS/WAP. The first pilot-route to be equipped with this technology is within Cologne's city limits and features in the F&D project being conducted for the city.
Samenvatting