Guide to fuel consumption analyses for urban traffic management: D. P. Bowyer, R. Akcelik, D. C. Biggs. Australian Road Research Board, Special Report SR No. 32. Australian Road Research Board, 500 Burwood Highway, Vermont South, Victoria 31133, Australia, 1985. 98 pp. $31.00 (pbk.)

Abstract

A substantial set of analysis techniques exist for the consideration of fuel consumption in urban traffic management. This report provides a guide to assist the traffic manager in selecting techniques which are appropriate to the various traffic management contexts. It is structured into two parts. Part a presents easy to use functions and graphs for estimating fuel consumption for a typical car. Part b provides a comprehensive guide to the use of techniques for fuel consumption analysis in urban traffic systems. The information requirements for the different phases of the traffic management process (ie, diagnosis, design, implementation and evaluation) are briefly discussed. The primary interest in this guide is in the design phase, and traffic models which incorporate a fuel consumption model are the only practical means of considering fuel consumption in this phase. Fuel consumption models of four levels of detail are described and numerical examples are given to illustrate their use. The traffic models and associated fuel consumption models are presented as an hierarchy and the scale of traffic system to which each is appropriate is shown. These fuel consumption models are inter-related, forming part of the same modelling framework and the vehicle parameters are explicit at all model levels. Case studies are presented to bemonstrate the choice, use and cost-effectiveness of selected traffic models in the design of particular management schemes. The ISBN of the microfiche version is 0-86910-221-4. (Author/TRRL)