Evaluation of the Scats Control System

011316092008Final ReportPDFTech ReportReport No: MIOH UTC TS4 2008 \u2013Final TS 4, Project 2Travel demandTravel demand managementHighway capacityTraffic congestionAdvanced traffic management systemsResearch HubHighwaysOperations and Traffic ManagementI73: Traffic ControlTraffic mitigationTraffic signal control systemsTravel timeMichiganUnited StatesMichigan Ohio University Transportation CenterDutta, UtpalMcAvoy, DebLynch, JamesVandeputte, LaurelUniversity of Detroit Mercy. Civil and Environmental EngineeringMichigan Ohio University Transportation CenterUnited States. Dept. of TransportationMichigan. Dept. of TransportationUS Transportation CollectionIncreasing travel demand and lack of sufficient highway capacity are serious problems in most major metropolitan areas in the United States. Large metropolitan areas have been experiencing increased traffic congestion problems over the past several years. The total delay that drivers experienced has increased from 0.7 billion hours in 1982 to 3.7 billion hours in 2003 [1]. Combining the 3.7 billion hours of delay and 2.3 billion gallons of fuel consumed due to congestion, leads to a total congestion cost of $63 billion dollars for drivers in 85 of the largest metropolitan areas of the nation [1].In spite of the implementation of many demand management measures, the congestion in most urban areas is still increasing. In many areas congestion is no longer limited to two peak hours in a day; however, it is extended to two to three hours in the morning, afternoon and evening. Thus, the congestion experienced on urban and suburban freeways and arterial streets results in delays to the motorist, excess fuel consumption and a high level of pollutant emission not only during the peak hours in a day, but also for several hours throughout the day.Traffic congestion has a significant impact on our nation\u2019s economy and to minimize this impact, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has identified congestion mitigation as their top priority. Congestion on arterial roads can be attributable to heavy traffic volumes and poor traffic signal coordination. Recently, the NTOC 2005 National Report Card awarded the nation a \u201cD-\u201d grade for traffic signal operation stating that future efforts should be focused on \u201cMitigating bottlenecks on arterials resulting from signal timing.\u201