A study of the influence of severe environmental conditions on common traffic congestion features

On the basis of real traffic and environmental data measured on German freeways, we studied common features of traffic congestion under the influence of severe weather conditions. We have found that traffic features [J] and [S] defining traffic phases “wide moving jam” (J) and “synchronized flow” (S) in Kerner's three‐phase theory are indeed common spatiotemporal traffic features. The quantitative parameters for both traffic phases [S] and [J] were investigated in a comparison of “ideal” weather conditions (good visibility and no precipitation) and severe weather situations (icy road, wind, precipitation, etc.). We showed spatiotemporal congested patterns in several space–time diagrams based on the Automatic Tracking of Moving Jams/Forecasting of Traffic Objects (ASDA/FOTO) model reconstruction for roadside detectors. A statistical study of traffic phase [J] parameters was presented, showing the average values and standard deviation of the quantities. Similarities and differences were analyzed, and some consequences for vehicular applications were discussed to cope with severe weather conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.