Prediction of link travel times in the context of Nottingham's urban road network

Abstract: Traffic congestion is becoming a serious environmental threat that must be resolved quickly. Traditionally, travel information systems have been specific to a particular mode of transport. For instance, traffic information (road conditions broadcast) has been directed at drivers. Instead, travel information systems are now being developed which incorporate route guidance systems to divert drivers away from the congested areas either by change of travel mode or travel route. The mobile travel information system developed at The Nottingham Trent University enables progression from a passive mode of interaction between traffic control systems and road-users (one-way flow of information) to an active mode. The integration of data concerning traffic flows and individual journey plans thus makes it possible to perform optimisation of travel. This paper focuses on the issue of provision of real-time information about urban travel and assistance with planning travel. Nottingham’s SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) traffic-light control system provides real-time information about the link travel times within certain areas of the city. However, rather than using link travel times at the time of the request, it is more effective to predict the link travel times for the time of travel along the particular links. The future link travel times depend upon the historical travel time of the link (for the specific time step in the day) as well as the current link travel time. Consequently, the link weights are a combination of real-time data, historical data and static data. The prediction method will be validated in the context of Nottingham’s urban road network. The results will be presented at the conference.