FUEL USAGE EVALUATION OF LINKED SIGNAL SYSTEMS (FUELSS)

A number of authors in recent years have highlighted the role that traffic management can play in the conservation of liquid fuels. In particular, the benefits which result from the co-ordination of traffic signals have been shown to be quite significant, especially when compared with the costs of implementation. These benefits may be measured directly by conducting detailed traffic surveys to collect relevant data for vehicle operation with the route concerned operating in a linked and unlinked mode. However these surveys require significant resources to organize, carry out and analyse and quite significant costs are also involved. The Country Roads Board is therefore currently undertaking the development of models which can provide practical analysis tools to help assess the energy effects of traffic management changes in general and traffic signal linking in particular. These models will allow comparisons of alternative traffic management actions to be undertaken such that decisions may be made based on expected results. The Country Roads Board is also carrying out a major traffic survey to assess the direct benefits of traffic signal linking along the Maroondah Highway in Melbourne. The Maroondah Highway has been linked by the board as part of the implementation of a major traffic signal project called SCRAM (signal co-ordination of regional areas in Melbourne). The information from this survey will provide details of travel time, delays and fuel consumption effects of various modes of traffic signal linking and also data which can be used to calibrate the models being produced as part of this project. The FUELSS Project is being funded by the National Energy Research Development and Demonstration Council (NERDDC) (a). The paper was presented as Paper 29-Session 8-Research into Practice (SAE 82159). The number of the covering abstract of the conference is TRIS no. 367871. (TRRL)