PURPOSES : Expressways experience chronic and recurring congestion, especially during weekends and holidays, because of the increased demands for leisure-related travel. The alternatives to solve chronic and recurring congestion may be three-fold: (1) physical expansion of expressway capacities, (2) road pricing, and (3) temporal and spatial distribution of traffic demands. Among these, the third alternative may be the most cost-effective method for the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) that can be achieved by using the existing ITS infrastructure. METHODS : KEC initiated a pilot study in which the traffic on congested expressways was managed by providing traffic condition information (i.e., travel times) of neighboring national highways for taking detours via variable message signs (VMS). This study aimed to estimate the detour rate, and the two pilot studies on Seohaean and Yeongdong expressways yielded many benefits. RESULTS: It was revealed that the total length of congestion segments decreased by 7.8 km, and the average travel speed increased by 5.3 km/h. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, it was concluded that the propagation of detour information via VMSs during congestion hours can help reduce congestion on expressways and increase the benefits of the entire network.

PURPOSES : The travel times of expressway buses have been estimated using the travel time data between entrance tollgates and exit tollgates, which are produced by the Toll Collections System (TCS). However, the travel time data from TCS has a few critical problems. For example, the travel time data include the travel times of trucks as well as those of buses. Therefore, the travel time estimation of expressway buses using TCS data may be implicitly and explicitly incorrect. The goal of this study is to improve the accuracy of the expressway bus travel time estimation using DSRC-based travel time by identifying the appropriate analysis period of input data. METHODS : All expressway buses are equipped with the Hi-Pass transponders so that the travel times of only expressway buses can be extracted now using DSRC. Thus, this study analyzed the operational characteristics as well as travel time patterns of the expressway buses operating between Seoul and Dajeon. And then, this study determined the most appropriate analysis period of input data for the expressway bus travel time estimation model in order to improve the accuracy of the model. RESULTS: As a result of feasibility analysis according to the analysis period, overall MAPE values were found to be similar. However, the MAPE values of the cases using similar volume patterns outperformed other cases. CONCLUSIONS: The best input period was that of the case which uses the travel time pattern of the days whose total expressway traffic volumes are similar to that of one day before the day during which the travel times of expressway buses must be estimated.

PURPOSES: This investigational survey is to observe a proper spatial aggregation method for path travel time estimation using the hi-pass DSRC system. METHODS: The links which connect the nodes of section detectors location are used for path travel time estimation traditionally. It makes some problem such as increasing accumulation errors and processing times. In this background, the new links composition methods for spatial aggregation are considered by using some types of nodes as IC, JC, RSE combination. Path travel times estimated by new aggregation methods are compared with PBM travel times by MAE, MAPE and statistical hypothesis tests. RESULTS : The results of minimum sample size and missing rate for 5 minutes aggregation interval are satisfied except for JC link path travel time in Seoul TG~Kuemho JC. Thus, it was additionally observed for minimum sample size satisfaction. In 15, 30 minutes and 1 hour aggregation intervals, all conditions are satisfied by the minimum sample size criteria. For accuracy test and statistical hypothesis test, it has been proved that RSE, Conzone, IC, JC links have equivalent errors and statistical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS : There are some errors between the PBM and the LBM methods that come from dropping vehicles by rest areas. Consequently, this survey result means each of links compositions are available for the estimation of path travel time when PBM vehicles are missed.