Abstract:
Speed-flow relationships are investigated downstream of a queue and within the queue to identify capacity flows and the effects of formation of an upstream queue on speed and flow. Data were obtained from the Queen Elizabeth Way in Ontario, Canada, on a level three-lane section of freeway. Results show markedly different shapes for the speed-flow curves in the queue and downstream. This result calls into question efforts to develop general speed-flow curves for specific facility types. In a bottleneck downstream of the queue, capacity was found to be approximately 2,300 passenger-car units per hour per lane. Queue formation had no effect on these flow rates but did affect observed speeds.
Supplemental Notes:
This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1287, Traffic Flow, Capacity, Roadway Lighting, and Urban Traffic Systems 1990. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved