Deriving traffic volumes from probe vehicle data using a fundamental diagram approach

Kurzfassung

With today’s methods, area-wide direct measurements of traffic volumes on (urban) road networks are not achievable realistically. Since, however, such information is essential for traffic planning and control, traffic flows have to be extrapolated from point measurements or by other means via suitable models. This paper evaluates a simple approach which tries to derive traffic volumes from probe vehicle data by applying the speed-flow relationship of the fundamental diagram. In this context, the well-known Van Aerde model as a deterministic representation of this relationship is shortly reviewed. Results are presented for real-world data of about 600 local detectors and a taxi PVD fleet consisting of about 4,300 vehicles in Berlin, Germany.