Facilitating Incident Management Strategies on Freeways (original) (raw)
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Incident Management Simulation on a Two Freeway Corridor in Honolulu
1999
The annual cost of incidents in Honolulu is estimated at $190 million and it is ranked as the 12th most congested city in the nation. This motivated a simulation study using INTEGRATION on the potential of incident management (IM) for Honolulu. A 2-freeway corridor was selected as the most promising area for fast-track IM implementation. The simulated incident on Moanalua Freeway increased total network travel times by 16% over the base case. The 60 minute incident increased travel times on the affected freeway by 82% during the incident queue peak. A 42 minute incident duration increased travel times by 40% which reveals the importance of quick response and clearance. Real time information to motorists caused diversion onto the H-1 Freeway saving 40% over the scenario with incident without IM. Diversion is feasible as long as sufficient capacity exists along alternate routes; ramp rather than main line capacity is often the limiting factor
Design Guidelines to Accommodate Incident Management
1997
This summary document presents roadway designers with recommendations for the application of emergency crossovers, improved incident location identifiers, screening, refuge areas, and equipment storage areas for incident management. Temporary use of shoulder lanes for incident management is recommended
Enhancement of Freeway Incident Traffic Management and Resulting Benefits
2012
To improve traffic conditions on major highways plagued by non-recurrent congestion, most highway agencies have invested their resources in two principal operational programs: incident response and clearance, and traffic impact management. However, even with the widespread implementation of such programs, effectively minimizing the traffic impact caused by multi-lane blocked incidents remains a critical and challenging issue for most highway agencies. This research developed a multi-criteria decision-support system for determining the necessity of detour operations during incident management from an overall socio-economic benefit perspective. The developed system enables responsible agencies to consider all associated critical factors with preferred weights, including the direct benefits and operational costs, safety and reliability, accessibility of detour, and acceptability by travelers. This research is part of the authors' developed integrated incident managing system for th...
Incidents And Intervention On Freeways
California Partners For Advanced Transit and Highways, 1994
The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the State of California. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
2011
Each year highway traffic incidents, such as crashes, place responders on and beside roadways with dangerous high-speed traffic. The unexpected conditions of an incident scene have the potential to surprise unsuspecting or inattentive drivers, possibly causing an additional crash, termed a secondary incident. Because responder safety is a key priority of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois Center for Transportation, and because secondary incidents are frequently more severe than the initial incident, ICT researchers, guided by a technical review panel (TRP) of members from multiple incident response agencies, studied ways to improve responder safety in Illinois through a training program. A survey of incident response agencies throughout Illinois was conducted to assess the current level and type of incident management training provided to each group of responders. The research team reviewed the current training materials at federal, state, regional, and organizational levels. Based on the statewide survey, comprehensive literature reviews, and inputs from the TRP members, a training program was developed. The training intends to provide the necessary inter-disciplinary knowledge to incident responders in Illinois. The main objective of the training is to keep responders safe, prevent secondary incidents, and reduce fatalities in Illinois, while reducing non-recurring congestion caused by the incidents. The training includes approximately 6.5 hours of classroom time and is divided into eight modules, each providing valuable training to incident responders. The training program was pilot tested in two regions of Illinois prior to finalization. The pilot training sessions received very positive feedback from over 50 participants.
Incident Characteristics and Impact on Freeway Traffic
2004
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Transportation Research Board eBooks, 2016
Systematic, well-designed research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AAS-HTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques-the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB's recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB's relationship to the Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AAS-HTO Standing Committee on Research (SCOR), and each year SCOR's recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the Academies and TRB. The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.
Making the Connection: Advancing Traffic Incident Management in Transportation Planning: A Primer
2013
The intent of this primer is to inform and guide traffic incident management (TIM) professionals and transportation planners to initiate and develop collaborative relationships and advance TIM programs through the metropolitan planning process. The primer aims to inspire planners and TIM professionals to create transportation plans and programs that support regional TIM programs through TIM-focused objectives, performance measures, and TIM strategies and projects. The ultimate goal of this primer is to strengthen, support, and elevate regional TIM programs as a crucial, lower-cost strategy for reliability, safety, environmental improvements, and mobility. The primer explains the benefits for TIM professionals and planners of linking planning and TIM. It contains specific opportunities, supported by case studies, to integrate TIM considerations and stakeholders into the planning process. TIM planning sheets provide tangible examples of TIM objectives that can be drawn from, in whole ...
Incident Management via Courtesy Patrol: Evaluation of a Pilot Program in Colorado
Transportation Research Record, 1995
A courtesy patrol program was operated by the Colorado Department of Transportation on urban freeways during peak periods to reduce congestion attributable to incidents. In this article are described the program's implementation using two approaches to service delivery, the types of incidents encountered, services provided, and impacts on traffic flows. During the pilot program, the duration of incidents was reduced by 8.6 to 10.5 min. Using a deterministic queuing model, average delays were estimated to be reduced by 71to98 vehicle-hr per incident, depending on roadway position, time of day, and assumptions regarding lane blockage effects. The program's benefits far exceeded its costs. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) initiated a courtesy patrol program on a pilot basis in the summer of 1992 to provide incident management on major roadways during rush hour periods, with the goal of reducing congestion. This article is drawn from a larger evaluation (J) and includes reports on program implementation,, incident type, service levels, and program effectiveness. PROGRAM APPROACH AND IMPLEMENTATION Congestion and Incident Management Congestion is an increasingly serious problem. Nationally, congestion on urban freeways is responsible for as much as 2 billion vehicle-hr of delay and $16 billion in costs (2). In addition, congestion contributes to poor air quality, wasted fuel, and accidents. While some amount of congestion stems simply from traffic volumes exceeding roadway capacity, studies have shown that incidents-vehicle breakdowns and accidents on or along the road-account for as much as 60 percent of all congestion. Incidents include major accidents that tie up several lanes for hours; minor accidents and stalled vehicles that block only one lane for short durations; vehicles stopped in shoulders; spilled loads; construction, utility, and maintenance activities; and special events that generate heavy traffic volumes (3). According to a Federal Highway Administration report (3), incidents blocking one lane of a three-lane road will reduce capacity by almost half. Even an incident on the shoulder that does not physically block a lane, such as a stalled vehicle or a law enforcement stop, can cause a 25 percent capacity reduction. Capacity reductions occur even when lanes are not blocked, due to the "gawking" effect,
Incident Management: Process Analysis And Improvement Phase 1: Review Of Procedures
1998
This working paper examines the process for managing incidents on highways, as it is applied in Los Angeles County. The examination is based on interviews with various agencies, including law enforcement, state highway department, coroners office, and LA County MTA Freeway Service Patrol, along with direct observation through ride-alongs. Follow-up work will quantify the benefits of improved incident management, through analysis of freeway performance and response characteristics during incidents.