Roadway Information Research Articles

In-Vehicle Auditory Display of Symbolic Information

Using the Federal Highway Administration Sign simulation laboratory, 24 participants were presented with roadway sign information using either computer-controlled graphic images or audio recordings. The road signs selected for display contained either symbolic or text-based messages. Following visual or auditory presentation of the information, participants were asked to identify if the displayed message matched a projected sign image. Performance accuracy and recognition times for projected signs were measured. Overall, driver response time was found to be longer for text-based messages than for symbolic messages but this difference was not affected by the type of display used to present the message. Matching tasks that paired auditory display of sign names with symbolic sign images did not result in longer recognition times or increased errors. Presenting drivers with verbal information to inform them of symbolic road signs was as effective as presenting them with graphic visual images of the signs.

Investigation into Factors Affecting Roadway Deformation in the Selby Coalfield

The introduction of roofbolting in the UK coal mining industry has been well documented and is an example of reinforcement design utilizing a ‘design by measurement’ or ‘observational approach’. This has involved detailed monitoring of rock strata movements and rockbolt loads at a large number of sites. Analysis of roadway deformation monitoring information from across the Selby coalfield provided an ideal opportunity of assessing how geological and stress variations affect the stability of reinforced coal mine roadways. Statistical analysis of this data has confirmed the detrimental effects of maximum horizontal stress direction and relatively weak roof geology on the magnitude of roof deformation. Further analysis has led to the development of a roof lithology index for assessing the quality of the immediate roof geology and the use of geological hazard analysis for providing useful information for the development of a stability index for assessing support requirements of existing and future roadways. This investigation has also verified previous observations regarding mechanisms controlling roadway deformational behaviour and highlights the importance of the ‘site-specific’ nature of reinforcement design.

Application of Computer-Integrated Transportation to Commercial Vehicle Operations

Computer-integrated transportation (CIT) is envisioned as an integrated network of public and private transportation organizations, each of which has unique responsibilities but is working toward a common mission of facilitating travel across all modes of transportation. The research on CIT is extended to commercial vehicle operations, specifically to examine how government can work with trucking companies (i.e., motor carriers) within a CIT framework. The research entailed a review of how government currently interacts with trucking companies, interviews with trucking terminal managers, and case studies of terminal operations at five of the nation's largest motor carriers. Opportunities are identified in the area of unifying the interaction between government and industry (along four lines: licensing, roadway information, incident clearance, and enforcement) and in the area of in-vehicle devices for automated record keeping.

Application of Computer-Integrated Transportation to Commercial Vehicle Operations

Computer-integrated transportation (CIT) is envisioned as an integrated network of public and private transportation organizations, each of which has unique responsibilities but is working toward a common mission of facilitating travel across all modes of transportation. The research on CIT is extended to commercial vehicle operations, specifically to examine how government can work with trucking companies (i.e., motor carriers) within a CIT framework. The research entailed a review of how government currently interacts with trucking companies, interviews with trucking terminal managers, and case studies of terminal operations at five of the nation's largest motor carriers. Opportunities are identified in the area of unifying the interaction between government and industry (along four lines: licensing, roadway information, incident clearance, and enforcement) and in the area of in-vehicle devices for automated record keeping.

Development of Automated Road Inspection Vehicle for Nondestructive Evaluation of Road Surface Condition

An ever-growing need exists for a fast, objective, and relatively inexpensive automated road inspection system. Unlike traditional methods of road inspection, the proposed automated road inspection system relies on video images and distance tracking systems housed within a survey vehicle. The road inspection vehicle is capable of acquiring full field road surface distress information at speeds in excess of 85 km/hr. Only two individuals are needed to drive the towing vehicle and trailer along the appropriate roadways where a surface analysis is required and to operate the acquisition equipment. This type of road inspection process eliminates the need to class a road for inspection and greatly increases safety levels when compared with the traditional road inspection methods. Acquisition of roadway surface distress information is accomplished using the shadow moire method. The shadow moire method has been proven to be a fast and accurate means of measuring out-of-plane surface deformation. This method is relatively inexpensive and requires minimal maintenance while providing accurate results. The objective of this research is to refine or improve, or both, the various subsystems that form the integrated prototype system.

Development of Automated Road Inspection Vehicle for Nondestructive Evaluation of Road Surface Condition

An ever-growing need exists for a fast, objective, and relatively inexpensive automated road inspection system. Unlike traditional methods of road inspection, the proposed automated road inspection system relies on video images and distance tracking systems housed within a survey vehicle. The road inspection vehicle is capable of acquiring full field road surface distress information at speeds in excess of 85 km/hr. Only two individuals are needed to drive the towing vehicle and trailer along the appropriate roadways where a surface analysis is required and to operate the acquisition equipment. This type of road inspection process eliminates the need to class a road for inspection and greatly increases safety levels when compared with the traditional road inspection methods. Acquisition of roadway surface distress information is accomplished using the shadow moiré method. The shadow moiré method has been proven to be a fast and accurate means of measuring out-of-plane surface deformation. This method is relatively inexpensive and requires minimal maintenance while providing accurate results. The objective of this research is to refine or improve, or both, the various subsystems that form the integrated prototype system.

The Effects of Area Familiarity and Navigation Method on ATIS Use

This paper describes the driver performance and behavioral interaction results of a comparison between visitors to a major city (Orlando) and local drivers while using differing navigation configurations of an Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS). The system utilized for the study was TravTek, a device which provided in-vehicle information via color touch screen CRT, steering wheel buttons, and synthesized voice. The TravTek driver interface was developed with the intent of providing navigation, service and attractions, and roadway incident and traffic information to the driver. Both visitors and local users tested six different navigation-aid configurations. The six navigation-aids included: static turn-by-turn graphics and a moving map both with and without voice, a paper map and a textual direction list. The research showed that visitors drove more cautiously, but they made more glances to the navigation-aids when compared to local users. In addition, visitors went off-route and got lost less frequently than local users. Visitors apparently were more careful in driving and navigating to their destinations.

Driver Performance Results from the Travtek IVHS Camera Car Evaluation Study

The TravTek system constitutes a major Intelligent Vehicle-Highway System (IVHS) Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) demonstration project. The system provided in-vehicle information via color touchscreen CRT, steering wheel buttons, and synthesized voice. The TravTek driver interface was developed with the intent of providing navigation, service and attractions, and roadway incident and traffic information to the driver. The design of the TravTek interface had as its primary objectives: (1) more effective driver navigation providing the benefit of saving time, (2) easy access to valuable and convenient location information to alleviate stress and increase driving enjoyment, (3) maintenance of safe driving performance during system use and safety improvement facilitated by information for avoiding hazards and for emergency response, and (4) improvement of roadway efficiency to alleviate congestion. This paper provides detailed data regarding driver performance and behavioral interactions with four TravTek navigation configurations and two conventional methods of navigation: a paper map and a textual direction list. The results indicate that turn-by-turn information, regardless of its method of presentation, results in effective driving and navigation performance. A moving map display with no supplemental information required high visual attention relative to the other conditions. The other TravTek conditions resulted in lower workload superior navigation performance than the paper map control condition.

SPVD: A magnetic vehicle detection system using a low power magnetometer

The Self Powered Vehicle Detector (SPVD) is a motor vehicle detection system, presently under development, that detects a vehicle's presence by measuring its magnetic signature in the roadway. An optimized two axis Brown fluxgate magnetometer is used as the transducer with a digital nulling loop to perform sensor offset nulling and logic functions. An FM telemetry link containing three encoded tones conveys the roadway emplanted SPVD vehicle presence and device status information to a roadside control unit which may interface with other traffic control systems. A minimum one year operational lifetime is anticipated in a roadway with a 20,000 vehicles/day traffic flux.

The Driver and the Road

Highway safety begins with the basic geometric design of the highway to meet the driver's needs. The sourves of information available to the driver are examined and it is suggested that the formal information system (signs, signals, and markings) is secondary in importance to the driver's perspective view of the roadway. The concept of driving expectancy is defined for engineering application. The application of this concept requires that the actions of a design driver be defined in general terms. It is logically concluded that the design driver should be a driver who is unfamiliar with the roadway; also a set of driving postulates is presented. The need for coordination of geometric design features and the roadway information system is stressed.