Toll Network Capacity Calculator: Operations Management and Assessment Tool for Toll Network Operators

Abstract

A performance assessment tool was developed to assist managers and operators of highway networks containing toll collection facilities. The toll network capacity calculator (TNCC) quantifies a toll facility’s ability to process traffic. The calculator can also help engineers who are designing toll facilities to serve highway systems adequately. TNCC determines the maximum amount of traffic that a collection facility can handle. In addition, TNCC may be used for disruption management during lane closings, incidents, or maintenance checks. Furthermore, TNCC may be employed as a planning tool and a performance assessment tool by predicting the impact of surging traffic volumes during special events. The performance of a toll facility was determined from plaza characteristics such as lane number, lane type, and processing rates. The results of the calculations met constraints set by the characteristics of the arriving traffic. For example, variables such as the percentage of arrivals that were electronic toll collection (ETC) patrons and the percentage of arrivals that were semitrailer trucks requiring non-ETC services influenced the plazas’ performance outcome. Overflow of ETC users from the dedicated ETC lanes into the mixed lanes was also a factor. Performance was independent of hourly arrival volumes. Videotapes and transaction data at plazas provided necessary input to TNCC in the evaluation of 32 plazas on the toll network of highways in Orange County, Florida.

Using Decision Support System and Graphical User Interface to Choose Appropriate Lane Configurations at Toll Facilities

“…Van Dijk and colleagues show that approach in the application at the Westerschelde Tunnel Toll Plaza (8). The hybrid model toll network capacity calculator (TNCC) is described in Zarrillo et al (9,10). Zarrillo et al and Pietrzyk and Mierzejewski deal especially with the ETC aspect, implementation (11,12), management (13), and practice (14).…”

Evaluation of Toll Plaza Performance After Addition of Express Toll Lanes at Mainline Toll Plaza

“…During periods of continuous high-speed operation, the capacity of each AVI lane would approach that of a regular traffic lane. Several research endeavors, by Al-Deek et al (1,2), Pietrzyk (4 ), and Zarrillo et al (12), evaluated performance of toll lanes for various plaza configurations. However, analysis from actual collected field data for express toll lanes and open-road tolling has been minimal.…”

“…The speed limit of a dedicated ETC lane can affect the throughput. Theoretically, if the speed limit is increased for a dedicated ETC toll lane that does not have a gate (i.e., the customer does not have to stop), the maximum number of vehicles that can be processed should increase (4,11,12). However, other factors may change, such as the clearance (spacing between two vehicles), which can affect the throughput.…”

“…These capacity values are identified by a superscript a in Table 3. Other methodologies were investigated but were found to produce more conservative values than those measured in the field for some days, possibly because of the specific characteristics of this plaza or driver types not considered in the capacity equations (12).…”

“…This measure has been found to consider the majority of vehicles delayed without the significant influence of possible outliers. A hierarchy was also developed from a national survey and field data analyses to identify the performance of a lane or the entire plaza (11,12). Level-of-service (LOS) A ≤ 14 s/veh, B > 14 s/veh and ≤ 28 s/veh, C > 28 and ≤ 49 s/veh, D > 49 and ≤ 77 s/veh, E > 77 and ≤ 112 s/veh, and F > 112 s/veh.…”