01551946

Component

The impact of inclement weather on traffic conditions has long been a concern to drivers and transportation agencies alike. Inclement weather conditions, such as fog, rain, snow, and ice, are known to negatively impact the operational efficiency of networks, as well as user safety. Recently, the effect of inclement weather on freeway operating conditions near the city of Buffalo, NY has been the topic of multiple studies. Specifically, two studies have attempted to model average operating speed and hourly traffic volume, respectively, as a function of weather conditions. The objective of the current study is twofold. First, the current paper will attempt to determine if most recent winter (2013-2014) has been harsher compared to the previous couple of winters in Buffalo, which have tended to be milder than normal. The second objective is to test the accuracy of the models developed during the previous two studies using more recent data, which includes the most recent 2013-2014 winter. The winter of 2013-2014 was found to have significantly lower minimum and average temperatures than other years examined. In terms of the previous models’ accuracy, the speed model performed reasonably well, usually achieving results within 5 mph of the observed speed, but accuracy somewhat suffered when inclement weather conditions were harsh or when observed speeds were below 40 mph. The volume model’s accuracy was usually within 100% of the observed volume. It was also observed that the volume model tended to overestimate hourly volumes.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AH010 Surface Transportation Weather.

01550057

15-1967

English

18p

2015

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Operating speed; Traffic models; Traffic volume; Weather conditions; Winter

Buffalo (New York)

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-1967

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 30 2014 12:42PM