Transcript Patrick Markham

Traffic Congestion
Patrick Markham
CS410
Spring 2007
The Problem:
• Traffic congestion is an
enormous societal
problem resulting in
vehicle delay, wasted fuel
and lost productivity.
Cost:
• In 2000, the 75 largest
metropolitan areas of the U.S.
were hit with 3.6 billion hours
of vehicle delay
• 21.6 billion liters (5.7 billion
gallons) of wasted fuel
• $67.5 billion in lost
productivity
Texas Transportation Institute
Sources of the Problem:
• An ever-increasing number of vehicles on
the road
– 237,242,616 motor vehicles registered (2004)
– 197.2 million licensed drivers (2002)
•
•
•
•
Poor and/or outdated route designs
Construction and/or pedestrians
Weather
Inability of traffic lights to adapt the traffic
patterns they deliver according to these
and other conditions!
U.S. Department of Transportation, AAIA Aftermarket Factbook
Past Solutions:
• Annual or semi-annual traffic pattern
updates
• Ground sensors
• Traffic.com, Onestat.com
Our Solution:
• Real-time visual
and historical
analysis
• On-site video
camera
• Off-site video
storage &
software-enabled
machine
Complications:
• Off-site facility
• Communication between on- and offsite components
• Maintenance of off-site components
Benefits:
• Less Congestion
• More Business  More Money $$
• More Productivity  More Money $$
• Valuable Data  More Money $$
Summary:
• Traffic congestion, a major problem
for everyone.
• Traffic lights which can adapt the
traffic patterns they deliver, the best
solution.
• Local economy gets a major boost.
Questions?
References
• Texas Transportation Institute
(http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/congestion_
data/national_congestion_tables.stm)
• U.S. Department of Transportation,
Federal Highway Administration
(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs04/
mv.htm)
• Automotive Aftermarket Industry
Association Aftermarket Factbook, p. 55.
Also Consulted:
• The Institute of Transportation Engineers
(http://www.ite.org/)
• Department of Motor Vehicles
(http://www.dmv.org/)
• Bureau of Transportation Statistics
(http://www.bts.gov/)