EUROPOLIS - Inter-Urban Control System of Access Roads
Overview
Background & policy context:
Due to both expanding populations and the European Single Market, the number of people travelling by road, both within and between cities, is set to increase in the years ahead. This presents an enormous challenge to the authorities responsible for the future of cities and their transportation networks, as inadequate traffic planning and management can cripple urban centres with massive traffic jams.
Fortunately modern information technology is well-suited for helping to solve many of the problems posed by increased traffic congestion. Whilst in some cases new roads and traffic systems may be necessary, many cases of traffic congestion can be avoided by employing more efficient management of the traffic system. This is the approach that EU 58 - EUROPOLIS has taken.
Objectives:
The products were to be developed for the control of high-capacity/limited access road networks (urban accesses and motorway corridors) based upon integrated signal and variable sign control. New and improved products located at the roadside (signing systems and intelligent outstation) were to be based upon a new specification of intergrated hierarchial control covering access and lane control, isolated and coordinated-ramp metering and diversion strategy formulation.
The control centre developments were supposed to include the application of traffic modelling software for integrated plan evaluation and off-line and Real-Time congestion prediction.
Information management tasks involve the specification of interfaces for data capture from operators in adjacent control areas and other actors within the control area, plus the application of artificial intelligence techniques for plan identification and prioritisation.
Hardware and software developments related to the following products were in progress:
- variable message sign panels;
- variable sign controller;
- loop data processor;
- intelligent outstation (inc. AID algorithms);
- traffic prediction/Plan evaluation tool;
- ramp metering tool;
- tidal flow/lane manager;
- message text tool for incident management;
- alternative routes algorithm;
- operator interface(s);
- system Integrator module.
Share this page