Network models in traffic management and control

Abstract

The context for network modelling in traffic management and control is described in terms of the current area‐wide nature of traffic management and the range of objectives to which it can contribute. Representation of a road system and traffic management measures in terms of nodes and links and parameters associated with them is described. It is shown that the pattern of traffic has to be represented not only in terms of flows on links of the network but also in terms of numbers of movements per unit time between points of entry to and points of exit from the area being modelled. In modelling so far, these numbers of movements are regarded as given, but the routes taken are estimated by traffic assignment. Models can so far be used for comparison of a range of given schemes and for optimization of traffic control within a scheme. Variation over time is a central feature of the modelling, and this requires the use of time‐dependent queueing theory, and the specification of numbers of movements for a succession of periods of between 10 and 30 minutes. Theoretical approaches to the resulting problems of modelling and optimization are discussed, and the ways in which these are supplemented by heuristic methods in currently available models is described. Some requirements‐for further research are outlined.     

Performance ranking methodology for roading operations management

Management of enterprises in the public domain are being asked to look beyond financial measures of performance towards a system of performance indicators which will reflect achievement in quantitative but not necessarily monetary terms. The essential element of this approach is the role that management must play in the selection of indicators which reflect key dimensions of performance and objectives of the organization. This paper identifies comparison and presentation methods which are likely to be of practical help to managers facing the tasks of control and communication in the wider accountability process.

The issues raised are illustrated in a case study derived from an analysis of road maintenance management data from New Zealand territorial local authorities 1982–87.     

Variations in household transport expenditure within major Australian cities

A comparative analysis of intra‐urban variations in household transport expenditure in 1966–68 is undertaken for the two largest Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and one of the smaller State capitals, Adelaide. Regional variations in transport expenditure are found to be greater the larger the city; however residents of small cities are more dependent upon the car for their motorised travel. In the larger cities car dependence is most evident among low‐to‐middle income groups at a relatively early stage in the life cycle, located in outer suburban areas. Consequently high levels of expenditure on transport typically coincide with relatively high levels of financial commitments to home purchase and/or operation. This has significant ramifications for the household budget, the most notable being deficit‐funding, and reduced outlays on other expenditure items such as recreation and education. The distribution of company vehicles and allowances is shown to be of relatively greater benefit to higher income groups, although is not confined to them. Although somewhat dated, the findings suggest that the social impacts of rising prices for energy will almost certainly be regressive.

Note: This paper was presented to the 7th PTRC Summer Annual Meeting held at the University of Warwick in July 1979. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the Australian Road Research Board in the preparation of the paper. Particular appreciation is expressed to Dr. M. R. Wigan, Mr. K. Sharp and Dr. M. G. Lay for their helpful comments.     

British location rents: an interpretation of the dual transportation problem for commodity flows

The transportation problem is solved for a number of commodity flow matrices for Britain for 1972. The commodities were selected because of the likelihood of the transportation problem producing a relatively good fit. Commodities were also chosen when it was thought that accessibility was a key location factor. The rationalisation of the interpretation of the dual values as shadow prices and location rents is outlined and, after discussing the merits of alternative means of analysing and presenting the dual values, the distribution of these values are compared with the actual location of industry. Some difficulties and further implications of the approach are suggested.     

Flight schedule punctuality control and management: a stochastic approach

The insufficiency of infrastructure capacity in an air transport system is usually blamed for poor punctuality performance when implementing flight schedules. However, investigations have revealed that ground operations of airlines have become the second major cause of flight delay at airports. A stochastic approach is used in this paper to model the operation of aircraft turnaround and the departure punctuality of a turnaround aircraft at an airport. The aircraft turnaround model is then used to investigate the punctuality problem of turnaround aircraft. Model results reveal that the departure punctuality of a turnaround aircraft is influenced by the length of scheduled turnaround time, the arrival punctuality of inbound aircraft as well as the operational efficiency of aircraft ground services. The aircraft turnaround model proposed is then employed to evaluate the endogenous schedule punctuality of two turnaround aircraft. Model results, when compared with observation data, show that the operational efficiency of aircraft ground services varies among turnarounds. Hence, it is recommended that the improvement of departure punctuality of turnaround aircraft may be achieved from two approaches: airline scheduling control and the management of operational efficiency of aircraft ground services.     

Measurement of ocean temperatures using instruments carried by Antarctic fur seals

The study aimed to test the utility of instruments deployed on marine mammals for measuring physical oceanographic variation and, using this method, to examine temperature variation in the coastal waters around South Georgia. There was a significant correlation between temperature measurements made using a towed undulating oceanographic recorder (UOR) and concurrent measurements from time-depth recorders (TDRs) fitted to lactating Antarctic fur seals foraging from the coast of South Georgia. Congruence was found at horizontal spatial scales from 0.01°×0.01° to 0.5°×0.5° (degrees of latitude and longitude), and at a vertical scale of 10 m. However, there was no significant correlation between temperature measured by TDRs in the top 5 m and sea surface temperature (SST) measured by satellite remote sensing. TDR data provided information about temperature variation vertically through the water column, and through time. The UOR data were used to recalibrate the TDR data in order to correct for the slow response time of the TDR thermistor relative to the speed of seal movements through the water column. Seasonal temperature variation was apparent, and temperatures also varied between regions, and with bathymetry. These results were consistent with the current interpretation of the coastal oceanography around South Georgia. In particular, the relationship between on- and off-shelf waters showed larger amounts of warmer surface water in a region in which more run-off was to be expected. The study also showed that Antarctic fur seals concentrate their activity in regions of colder, and presumably oceanic, water. Such instrumented animals could provide near real time data for assimilation into ocean models.     

Ventilation of bottom water in the North Sea–Baltic Sea transition zone

The transition zone between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea is a highly dynamic region where a general estuarine circulation forms a regional scale frontal system from northern Kattegat to the Arkona Sea. This system is characterized by an upper low saline out?owing Baltic water mass from the in?owing saline Skagerrak bottom water to the Kattegat and Belt Sea area. Large and rapid ?uctuations of the frontal system are caused by barotropic transports, forced by changing sea level difference between northern Kattegat and the western Baltic Sea, and this results in high variability of the hydrographic conditions and also in frequent in- and out?ow events to the Baltic. The dynamics in the region are here analyzed by a regional model of the transition zone, covering the area from the northern Kattegat to the Arkona Sea. The model is validated against water level, temperature and salinity measurements from the region, and the transports through the Danish straits are related to previous estimates and empirical relations. A sensitivity study quantify the role of bathymetry, the tidally induced mixing and the in?owing Skagerrak bottom water for ventilating the bottom water with Skagerrak water or surface water.Furthermore, the dynamics in the region is analyzed with tracers representing the age of the water. The distribution of age tracers with different boundary conditions are analyzed, and the role of advection and mixing for ventilating the bottom water is quanti?ed in terms of the water age. It is shown that the Great Belt area is a very dynamical area where bottom water is ventilated with surface water. The interannual variation of the ventilation of bottom water in the period 2001–2003 is analyzed by various age tracers and related to observed oxygen conditions, and it is shown that the extreme hypoxic event in the autumn 2002 in the southern Kattegat, the Great Belt and in the western Baltic Sea coincide with an unusual low vertical ventilation rate in the Great Belt area, but normal advection rates of bottom water from the northern Kattegat. This indicates that during this particular event, and probably in general, ventilation of bottom water in the Great Belt has signi?cant in?uence on oxygen conditions in the southern part of the region and for ventilation of bottom waters in the western Baltic Sea. In contrast, the central Kattegat is primarily ventilated by advection of bottom water from the Skagerrak. An age tracer representing the ventilation rate of bottom water with either Skagerrak water or surface water is shown to be inversely correlated to the observed oxygen distribution in the region.     

Exploring the effects of passenger rail franchising in Britain: Evidence from the first two rounds of franchising (1997-2008)

This paper provides an up-to-date review of the previous literature concerning the impact of passenger rail franchising on productivity and costs in Britain, and also presents important new evidence. In particular, the extension in time of previously-used datasets offers the first opportunity to study the impacts of re-franchising. The previous literature emphasised the failure of franchising to produce sustained productivity gains, with a sharp deterioration in productivity after 2000. The new evidence presented offers a somewhat more positive view of the British experience. It suggests that part of what was previously considered to be falling productivity may in fact be due to exogenous changes in diesel prices. Further, new data suggests that the recent increases in costs have resulted in higher quality of service. Finally, competitive re-franchising, and the associated unwinding of short-term management and re-negotiated contracts, seems to have led to improvements in productivity between 2006 and 2008. Nevertheless, it remains the case that passenger rail franchising in Britain has failed to reduce costs in the way experienced in many other industries and in rail in other European countries. The evidence is that somewhat larger franchises, avoiding overlapping and optimising train density and length, should reduce costs. We also speculate that the major increase in wages and conditions of staff might be moderated by longer franchises, although that remains to be proved. This re-appraisal of the British case is important in the context of the wider international interest in the use of franchising in passenger rail, and its relevance to the current review of ways of introducing competition into the domestic rail passenger market in Europe.     

旭光大桥的加固改造研究

双曲拱桥是一种具有民族特色的拱桥型式,至今为止,在役的双曲拱桥营运时间约有30～40年的历史,双曲拱桥的加固改造已是迫在眉睫。通过旭光大桥的病害特点和原因进行分析,阐述了其加固改造的具体措施,材料要求,施工工艺等。实践证明：此法具有施工简单,速度快,质量好,造价低的优点,说明该桥的加固改造是成功的。     

人杀菌渗透增强性蛋白N末端片段在大肠杆菌中的表达

目的构建表达人杀菌渗透增强性蛋白(BPI)N-端193个氨基酸的重组表达质粒,诱导表达BPI193重组蛋白。方法应用RT-PCR的方法从HL-60细胞内扩增出BPI氨基端1-193个氨基酸的基因序列,克隆入T载体。将BPI193基因片段定向克隆入原核表达载体PET-28a中,构建重组的原核表达质粒PET-BPI193,转化大肠杆菌BL21菌株,用IPTG诱导表达蛋白。应用SDS-PAGE检测蛋白表达情况,计算机薄层扫描分析蛋白占菌体总蛋白百分比;Western-blot技术检测表达蛋白的特异性。结果从HL-60细胞中扩增得到579bp的BPI193基因片段,构建了T-BPI193亚克隆和PET-BPI193重组表达质粒。转化大肠杆菌BL21,通过IPTG诱导,经SDS-PAGE检测表明,成功表达了6His-BPI193融合蛋白。计算机薄层扫描分析表达量占菌体总蛋白的12%。Western-blot检测显示表达产物具有特异性。结论成功构建了PET-BPI193重组表达质粒。在大肠杆菌BL21内,诱导获得了BPI193与组氨酸融合表达的重组蛋白。