Development of Congestion Cost Equations for Multilane Highways in India

Abstract

Traffic congestion is a tremendous drain on the economy of any nation. Congestion imposes vehicle operating costs and time costs on the road user that are in addition to the normal costs for using the same road under uncongested conditions. Fuel cost, as the major share of the vehicle operating cost, and time cost are the two relevant parameters for assessing the influence of congestion; fuel consumption and time cost equations must be able to estimate congestion cost. This study assessed fuel consumption and travel time costs under congested conditions on multilane highways, including four-, six-, and eight-lane divided carriageways. Data were collected from fuel consumption experiments conducted under a congested state and from roadside surveys on the value of time for different types of road users, including both passengers and goods. With these data, the authors developed congestion cost equations for fuel and time costs for different vehicle types that can be used to calculate the effects of congestion on fuel and time costs of vehicles operating on multilane highways.