Abstract
It has been reported in the past literature that total traffic volume and passenger car volume are affected by snowfall and cold temperature, but trucks are not significantly affected. This paper aims to confirm that the distribution of truck types is not affected by winter weather conditions through combined statistical analysis in the framework of microscopic and macroscopic impact analysis. A micro-level analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of snowfall and temperature on changes in truck type distribution. A macro-level analysis was also conducted to investigate the effect of the months (or seasons) on changes in truck type distribution. Truck traffic data were collected for 5 years at the weigh-in-motion site in Highway 2A, which is used for regional commuters near the City of Leduc, Alberta, Canada. The trucks were subdivided into straight unit truck, single trailer and multi trailer unit and then analyzed by applying a nonparametric Chi-squared test combined with the binomial probability test. As a result of the nonparametric test, the truck type distribution was stable irrespective of the severity of winter weather conditions, which are microscopic factors such as snowfall and temperature, and was not influenced by changes in months and seasons, which are macroscopic factors.
Highlights
Winter weather conditions affect transportation systems in many ways, such as major interruptions in traffic flow, evacuation from transportation systems, and serious impacts on mobility and safety of transportation system users [1]
Truck traffic data were collected for 5 years at the weigh-in-motion site in Highway 2A, which is used for regional commuters near the City of Leduc, Alberta, Canada
Previous studies in this area have been limited to studies using only total traffic volume, and even studies on truck traffic have considered only the total truck traffic volume
Summary
Winter weather conditions affect transportation systems in many ways, such as major interruptions in traffic flow, evacuation from transportation systems, and serious impacts on mobility and safety of transportation system users [1]. The study of the effects of inclement weather on overall traffic volumes has been a common theme for many years in the literature. Datla and Sharma [2] closely examined the impact of winter weather conditions such as cold temperature and snowfall on highway total traffic volume. The study concluded that winter weather conditions cause a variety of variations in total traffic volume and that the magnitude of the variations depends on the time of day, day of week and spatial location of the highway, type of the highway and severity of the weather. Research published in the literature and other similar studies have been based solely on total traffic data collected by permanent traffic counters (PTCs) without considering passenger cars and trucks separately.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
