• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.107-115
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• 2015

PURPOSES: This study analyzes the characteristics of traffic flow on freeway sections under daytime and nighttime conditions to improve traffic safety, and suggests a method to estimate an accurate freeway capacity value that reflects these characteristics. METHODS : The trends and differences in capacity were investigated using comprehensive field data collected under both daytime and nighttime conditions on freeway sections with designated speeds of 80, 100, and 120 kph. RESULTS : The capacity values under nighttime driving conditions were reduced by 3.3%, 6.9%, and 8.8% at 80, 100, and 120 kph, respectively. Several nighttime adjustment factors were deduced for each designated speed category from the analysis results. CONCLUSIONS : It is expected that more accurate capacity values can be estimated for freeway sections under nighttime conditions by applying the resulting adjustment factors. In addition, traffic safety will be improved through the increased efficiency of traffic management on these freeway sections.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.119-129
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• 2016

PURPOSES : The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for estimating additional carbon emissions due to freeway incidents. METHODS : As our country grows, our highway policy has mainly neglected the environmental and social sectors. However, with the formation of a national green growth keynote and an increase in the number of people interested in environmental and social issues, problems related to social issues, such as traffic accidents and congestion, and environmental issues, such as the impact of air pollution caused by exhaust gases that are emitted from highway vehicles, are beginning to be discussed. Accordingly, studies have been conducted on a variety of environmental aspects in the field of road transport, and for the quantitative calculation of greenhouse gas emissions, using various methods. However, in order to observe the effects of carbon emissions, microscopic simulations must use many difficult variables such as cost, analysis time, and ease of analysis process. In this study, additional greenhouse gas emissions that occur because of highway traffic accidents were classified by type (incident handling time, number of lanes blocked, freeway level of service), and the annual additional emissions based on incidents were calculated. According to the results, congestion length and emissions tend to increase with an increase in incident clearance time, number of occupied lanes, and worsening level of service. Using this data, we analyzed accident data on the Gyeong-bu Expressway (Yang-Jae IC - Osan IC) for a year. RESULTS : Additional greenhouse gas emissions that occur because of highway traffic accidents were classified by type (incident handling time, number of lanes blocked, freeway level of service) and annual additional emissions caused by accidents were calculated. CONCLUSIONS : In this study, a methodology for estimating carbon emissions due to freeway incidents was developed that incorporates macroscopic flow models. The results of the study are organized in the form of a look-Up table that calculates carbon emissions rather easily.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.77-82
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• 2016

PURPOSES : This paper proposes a reliability index for the safety evaluation of freeway sections. It establishes a reliability index as a safety surrogate on freeways considering speeds and speed dispersions. METHODS : We collated values of design elements including radii, curve lengths, vertical slopes (absolute values), superelevations, and vertical slopes from seven freeway sections in Korea. We also collected data about driving speeds, traffic accidents, and their deviations. We established a reliability index using these variables. RESULTS : The average radii, curve lengths, and superelevations are highly correlated with the incidence of traffic accidents. Deviations in radius and curve lengths show an especially high correlation. The reliability index, derived from speed and speed dispersions of the seven freeway sections, also correlated highly with accidents with a correlation index of 0.63. CONCLUSIONS : Since the reliability index obtained from speed and speed dispersions are highly correlated with traffic accidents, we conclude that a reliability index can be a safety surrogate on freeways considering speeds and speed dispersions together in terms of design and operational levels.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.223-237
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• 1996

Based on the traffic and accident data collected on a 4.2km (2.6mile) section of Interstate highway 35W in Minneapolis the relationship between traffic operation variables and safety measures is investigated. An aggregate specification that could be integrated into an urban freeway safety prediction methodology is proposed as a multiple regression model. The specification includes lane occupancy and volume data, which are the control parameters commonly used because they can be measured in real time. The primary variables that appear to affect the safety of urban freeway are : vehicle-miles of travel, entrance ramp volumes and the dynamic effect of queue building. The potential benefits of freeway traffic control strategies on freeway safety are also investigated via a simulation study. It was concluded that improvement of urban freeway safety is achievable by traffic control strategies which homogenize traffic conditions areound critical occupancy values.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2014

PURPOSES : Capacity is a main factor of determining the number of lane in highway design or the level of service in road on operation. Previous studies showed that breakdown may occur before capacity is reached, and then it was concluded that capacity is a stochastic value rather than a deterministic one. In general, estimating capacity is based on average over maximum traffic volume observed for capacity state. This method includes the empirical distribution method(EDM) and would underestimate capacity. This study estimated existing empirical methods of estimating stochastic highway capacity. Among the studied methods are the product limit method(PLM) and the selected method(SM). METHODS : Speed and volume data were collected at three freeway bottleneck sites in Cheonan-Nonsan and West Sea Freeway. The data were grouped into a free-flow state or capacity state with speeds observed in the bottlenecks and the upstream. The data were applied to the empirical methods. RESULTS : The results show that the PLM and SM estimated capacity higher than EDM. The reason is that while the EDM is based on capacity observations only, the PLM and SM are based on free-flow high volumes and capacity observations. CONCLUSIONS : The PLM and SM using both free-flow and capacity observations would be improved to enhance the reliability of the capacity estimation.

• Proceedings of the KOR-KST Conference
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• 1998.09a
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• pp.152-159
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• 1998

This paper presents a method evaluating benefits of ramp metering strategies on freeway safety. Based on the traffic and the accident data collected on a 4.2 km (2.6 mile) section of Interstate highway 35-West in Minneapolis, U.S.A., the relationship between traffic variables and safety measures is investigated. An aggregate specification that could be used to predict accident frequencies on freeways is proposed as a multiple regression form. The specification includes 15 minutes volume and occupancy data, which are commonly available from surveillance and control systems. The primary variables that appear to affect the frequencies of freeway accident are: vehicle-miles of travel, entrance ramp volumes and the dynamic effect of queue building. A simulation method evaluating the dynamic effect of control strategies on safety is proposed next. The potential benefits of freeway ramp metering on freeway safety are finally investigated via a proposed method.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry, and Cartography Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.233-238
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• 2004

In this study, speed survey has been conducted on Pusan Freeway to identify actual running speed. therefore, suggest that Highway Design Regulations and Highway Design Standard from Ministry of Construction and Transportation, which requires stopping sight distance for 20% less speed when rainy condition in accordance with Highway Safety Act, is not coincident with driver's characteristics. Consequently, it is prudent to compute stopping sight distance with 85th percentile running speed, considering driver's actual behavior and mountainous terrain.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.19-33
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• 1995

Conventional traffic assignment techniques usually do not consider traveler's route choice behavior affected by hierachicla strucfture in urban highway system. This study realizes the route choice behavior such that travelers tend to choose more higher level of highway rather than lower level of highway for longer trops. Otherwise, for shorter trips, travelers tend to choose lower level of highway unless they can get sufficient travel time saving by using mojor arterial street or freeway (higher level of highway). Therefore, this study suggests a traffic assignment technique incorrporating route choice behavior related to hierachical highway structure by introducing some perception costs to generalized cost function such as perceptional preference measureemnt for higher level higheay and perceptional penalty when changing to different level of highway. Through simulation analysis, it is shown that the simulation results with the new traffic assignment echnique can be different a lot from the results with the convential method.

• Proceedings of the KOR-KST Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.227-236
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• 2007

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2015

PURPOSES : It is well known that experts determined the current standard dimensions of freeway lane markings. However, rigorous engineering rationale could be insufficient regarding whether or not the standard dimensions account for how visible the markings are to the driver. In this study, we seek to optimize the dimensions of freeway lane markings to improve their visibility to drivers. METHODS : The study was conducted as follows. First, alternative lane marking dimensions were selected which could be installed in a test construction site. Second, a video recording was made while driving on the test construction site. Third, subjects were shown the recorded video and then instructed to indicate their preference from among the various lane markings. Lastly, t-tests were applied to assess the statistical significance of differences in the preferences expressed. RESULTS : According to the t-test results, there was no significant difference in the preferences expressed regarding the lane marking widths. However, with regard to the dimensions of freeway lane marking, which represents line marking lengths, gap lengths, and widths of marking, the subjects expressed a preference for specific dimensions such as 6 m:12 m,13 cm, 8 m:12 m,10 cm and 6 m:12 m,10 cm. CONCLUSIONS : In considering the dimensions of freeway lane markings and their relation to visibility by the driver, it was found that dimensions such as 6 m:12 m,13 cm, 8 m:12 m,10 cm and 6 m:12 m,10 cm.