Common Traffic Congestion Features studied in USA, UK, and Germany employing Kerner's Three-Phase Traffic Theory

Abstract

Based on a study of real traffic data measured on American, UK and German freeways common features of traffic congestion relevant for many transportation engineering applications are revealed by the application of Kerner's three-phase traffic theory. General features of traffic congestion, i.e., features of traffic breakdown and of the further development of congested regions, are shown on freeways in the USA and UK beyond the previously known German examples. A general proof of the theory's statements and its parameters for international freeways is of high relevance for all applications related to traffic congestion. The application ASDA/FOTO based on Kerner's three-phase traffic theory demonstrates its capability to properly process raw traffic data in different countries and environments. For the testing of Kerner's "line J", representing the wide moving jam's downstream front, four different methods are studied and compared for each congested traffic situation occurring in the three countries.