Abstract:
A MATHEMATICAL METHOD FOR MEASURING OBJECTIVELY THE RESTRAINT IMPOSED UPON HIGHWAY TRAFFIC OPERATION BY TOLL BRIDGES IS PRESENTED. A FORMULA IS DEVELOPED FOR MEASURING THE MONETARY VALUE PLACED UPON TIME BY THE COMPOSITE MOTORIST. THE APPLICATION OF THE FORMULA DEPENDS UPON A MEASUREMENT OF SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF ADJACENT FREE AND TOLL BRIDGES, TOLL RATE, AND RATES OF VEHICULAR SPEEDS IN THE AREA STUDIED. CONVERSELY, THE FORMULA MAY BE USED TO DETERMINE THE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF THE TOLL FACILITY WHEN THE MONETARY VALUE OF TIME IS GIVEN. THE METHOD PRESENTED COMPREHENDS THE ANALYSIS OF TIME AND DELAY STUDIES, CORRELATED TO ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEYS MADE BEFORE AND AFTER FREEING TOLL FACILITIES. A NUMBER OF SPECIFIC CASES WERE STUDIED DURING 1946 BY THE PLANNING DIVISION OF THE STATE ROAD COMMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA TO DEVELOP A RESERVOIR OF EXPERIENCE. AN INTERPRETATION OF THE ANALYSES OF CASES STUDIED (OF WHICH THIS PAPER PRESENTS BUT ONE CASE) INDICATES THAT: (1) EACH TOLL FACILITY HAS ITS OWN PECULIAR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AS DETERMINED BY FACTORS WHICH INCLUDE TOLL RATE AND SPEEDS OF TRAVEL IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, TOGETHER WITH ITS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. (2) EACH TOLL FACILITY EXERTS ITS OWN PECULIAR INFLUENCE UPON HIGHWAY TRAVEL WITH RESPECT TO DIVERTED, BARRED, STRANDED AND USER TRAFFIC. (3) EACH TOLL BRIDGE IS INHERENTLY PROTECTED IF SUFFICIENT DISTANCE AND TRAVEL TIME SEPARATES IT FROM THE NEXT ADJACENT BRIDGE. (4) TIME COST, IT APPEARS, IS A VARIABLE DEPENDENT UPON INDIVIDUAL DRIVER JUDGMENT, TIME OF TRIP (HOUR AND DAY), TOGETHER WITH ECONOMIC DEMANDS UPON AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF MOTORIST. (5) ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEYS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH TIME DELAY STUDIES, FURNISH VERY PRECISE INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING SPHERE OF INFLUENCE, LINES OF EQUITY, VALUES OF VEHICLE TIME, AND DIVERSION OF TRAFFIC. /AUTHOR/
Supplemental Notes:
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