Examining the Impact of Distance Between VSL Road Signs on Vehicle Speed Variance

Abstract

Variable speed limit (VSL) is an intelligent transportation system (ITS) solution for traffic management. The speed limits can be changed dynamically to adapt to traffic conditions such as visibility and traffic volume, curvature, and grip coefficient of the road surface. The VSL traffic sign location problem and attempts to solve it using computer simulation are presented in this paper. Experiments on a selected road segment, carried out using the traffic simulator, have shown that the proposed method allows the driver’s habits to be taken into account so that the location of road signs can be optimized. The observable effect was a reduction in vehicle speeds and speed variance on critical road segments, translating directly into increased safety and harmonized traffic.