Abstract
This paper models the relationship between vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on local and collector roads with an objective to predict local road VMT by using collector road VMT. Through a continuous approximation method typically used for vehicle routing, it first analytically reveals this relationship mainly as a function of roadway density ratios between multiple roadway classifications. This structural relationship suggests regression equations using density ratios or logarithmic values of them as the explanatory variables. The use of regression equations enables to account for varying spatial distributions of roadways and demand through parameter calibration. The proposed regression equations are proved good fits through computer simulation using distinct community road network topologies. In addition, practical data from Hennepin County of Minnesota, U.S.A. that encompasses Minneapolis indicates that our developed regression equations can work well.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Caution that this assumes the Hennepin County data is accurate, an unverified assumption though. In this sense, the simulation results earlier appear more reliable.
References
Cao X (2015) Estimating vehicle miles of travel on low functional classes of roadways, Texas A&M University. Master’s thesis
Christofides N, Eilon S, Watson-Gandy C (1971) Distribution management: mathematical modeling and practical analysis. Griffin, London
Daganzo C F (1984) The length of tours in zones of different shapes. Transp Res B Methodol 18(2):135–145
Dill J (2004) Measuring network connectivity for bicycling and walking 83rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, pp 11–15
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) (2013) Highway functional classification concepts, criteria and procedures, FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation. Available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/processes/statewide/related/highway_functional_classifications
FHWA (1992) Safety effectiveness of highway design features. Volume I, Access Control
Frawley W E (2002) Local street vehicle miles traveled (vmt) random count site selection for counties that have air quality conformity issues, Texas A&M Transportatoin Institute. Work Report
Fricker J, Kumapley R (2002) Publication FHWA/IN/JTRP-2002/10, Joint Transportation Research Program Updating procedures to estimate and forecast vehicle-miles traveled. Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
Hausman J (2011) Office of Highway Policy Information US Functional classification guidance update. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C
Holroyd E (1966) Theoretical average journey lengths in circular towns with various routeing systems, report 43. Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, Berks
Kumapley R, Fricker J (1996) Review Of methods for estimating vehicle miles traveled
Levinson D, Zhu S (2012) The hierarchy of roads, the locality of traffic, and governance. Transp Policy 19:147–154
Miller A J (1967) On spiral road networks. Transp Sci 1(2):109–125
Minnesota Department of Transportation (2015) Minnesota Department of Transportation: roadway data – Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Available at www.dot.state.mn.us/roadway/data/data-products.html#VMT
Newell G F (1980). Traffic flow on transportation networks. MIT Press
Oakridge National Laboratory (2011) Developing a best estimate of annual vehicle mileage for 2009 Nhts vehicles. FHWA National Household Travel Survey, Work Report
Parthasarathi P, Hochmair H, Levinson D (2012) Network structure and spatial separation. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design 39(1):137–154
Parthasarathi P, Hochmair H H, Levinson D M (2015) Street network structure and activity spaces. Urban Stud 52(6):1090–1112
Pearce C (1974) Locating concentric ring roads in a city. Transp Sci 8(2):142–168
Qian J (2013) Estimating vehicle miles traveled on local roads, Texas A&M University. Master’s thesis
Rentziou A, Gkritza K, Souleyrette R R (2012) Vmt, energy consumption, and ghg emissions forecasting for passenger transportation. Transp Res A Policy Pract 46(3):487–500
Rodrigue J-P, Comtois C, Slack B (2013) The geography of transport systems, Routledge
Saidi S, Wirasinghe S, Kattan L (2016) Long-term planning for ring-radial urban rail transit networks. Transp Res B Methodol 86:128–146
Seaver W, Chatterjee A, Seaver M (2000) Estimation Of traffic volume on rural local roads
Smeed R J (1970) The effect of the design of road network on the intensity of traffic movement in different parts of a town with special reference to the effects of ring roads Tewksbury Symposium. University of Melbourne
Southworth M, Ben-Joseph E (2013) Streets and the shaping of towns and cities, Island Press
Stone B, Obermann W, Snyder S (2005) A new method for estimating and projecting vehicle miles of travel: linkages to landscape change and ozone impacts to northern forests, US Department of Transportation. General Technical Report NC-253
Xie F, Levinson D (2007) Measuring the structure of road networks. Geographical analysis 39(3):336–356
Zhong M, Hanson B L (2009) Gis-based travel demand modeling for estimating traffic on low-class roads. Transp Plan Technol 32(5):423–439
Acknowledgments
Jiayu Qian in his MS thesis laid much ground work for development of this paper. His hard and careful efforts are gratefully acknowledged. A reviewer helped improve the presentation significantly through many comments, one of which led to the addition of Section 3.1.1. The paper also benefited from Drs. Mark Burris and Bill Eisele’s inputs through the process of the second author’s thesis.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, X.B., Cao, X., Yin, K. et al. Modeling Vehicle Miles Traveled on Local Roads Using Classification Roadway Spatial Structure. Netw Spat Econ 17, 713–735 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-017-9341-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-017-9341-6