Variability of Travel Time on Urban Freeways
Project Description
Many studies over the years have shown that motorists are equally concerned with the average travel time for a journey and with the variability of that travel time, since it is the combination of both these measures that determines how much time a motorist must allow for a trip if they wish to arrive at a pre-determined time.
The variability in travel time can be measured in three dimensions:
- Over the course of a day
- From day to day at the same time of day
- Across different parts of the network at the same time .
This project examines these different sources of travel time variability using data obtained from the DriveTime project on Melbourne Freeways. DriveTime captures traffic flow and speed information at hundreds of locations on Melbourne's freeways in order to estimate real-time travel times for display to motorists on Variable Message Signs. Using a census of DriveTime information for 3 months, the various types of travel time variability are quantified and modelled.
