Determining Travel Times on Arterial Links Using Probe Vehicles Data

Many transportation planning systems are based on travel time. People usually use location based services to find fastest rout in cities. Such services need accurate information about travel times of network links. With the advent of modern positioning approaches and AVL equipped vehicles, estimating travel times is more possible than ever. Vehicles that collect information about route condition are called Probe Vehicles. Currently in Tehran, city buses are equipped with GPS enabled AVL systems. Determining travel time of links using spatial and temporal data requires spatio-temporal analysis. In this study a new method is proposed for determining the travel time of vehicles using bus probe and signal timing data. The method is based on historical and real-time data. Techniques for considering bus stop dwell time and signal delay is introduced. In addition travel time is divided to link’s speed and signal’s delay. Results of model shows that bus probes are promising to determine travel time in signalized arterial links.