| Understanding the relative magnitudes of recurrent vs. non-recurrent congestion in an urban area is critical to the selection of proper measures and the appropriate allocation of resources to address congestion problems. Small to medium sized cities such as Birmingham typically lack the extensive traffic sensor networks necessary to monitor and record traffic performance on a regular basis. Thus alternative methods are needed to gain an understanding of the magnitude of recurrent and non-recurrent congestion and implement proper countermeasures to reduce them. The objective of this thesis was to develop methodologies for quantifying non-recurrent congestion in small to medium sized urban areas. More specifically, the study investigated the potential use of GPS data to quantify non-recurrent congestion on key interstate facilities in the Birmingham region. Archived GPS probe data from trucks were analyzed and combined with crash reports from the State's ASAP (Alabama Service and Assistance Patrol) incident response system to develop meaningful measures of non-recurrent congestion.;Keywords: Non-Recurrent Congestion, Incident Detection, ASAP data, Birmingham... |
