摘要: |
In May 1998, a team of 10 U.S. traffic engineers traveled to Europe to observe innovative traffic control practices and identify those practices that could be implemented in the United States. During a 2-week period, the team visited with transportation officials in Gothenburg, Sweden; Frankfurt, Cologne, and Bonn, Germany; Paris, France; and London and Birmingham, England. This article summarizes the findings and recommendations resulting from the trip. The information is organized into five major categories: traffic control devices, freeway control, operational practices, information management, and administrative practices. The two traffic control practices that the team believes would have the greatest potential value in the United States are the tiger-tail marking used on freeway entrance and exit ramps and the all-white system of pavement markings used throughout Europe. The three freeway control practices that team members feel should be implemented in the United States are variable speed control, lane control signals, and incident and queue detection and protection. Two operational practices are also recommended: intelligent speed adaption and self-optimized traffic signal control. Team members were impressed by the amount of information that European agencies provide to road users and the extensive use of symbols. The team also found that European transportation officials place a significant emphasis on marketing traffic engineering practices and improvements. |