Roadworks Warning—Closure of a Lane, the Impact of C-ITS Messages

Agriesti, Serio Angelo Maria; Studer, Luca; Marchionni, Giovanna; Gandini, Paolo; Qu, Xiaobo · 2020 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3390/infrastructures5030027

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) messages on traffic efficiency during roadworks involving a lane closure. Motivated by the need to define optimal implementation logic for Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) before widespread deployment, the research addresses whether early warning messages improve throughput and reduce delays or if they disrupt upstream traffic flow. The authors specifically examine the "Roadworks Warning—Closure of a Lane" use case, aiming to quantify benefits such as reduced travel times and congestion recovery across varying levels of market penetration. The researchers employed microsimulation using PTV VISSIM software to model a segment of the Italian motorway A22. The simulation environment was calibrated using real-world traffic data from two working Fridays, validating speed distributions and traffic volumes with GEH and Theil’s inequality coefficients. The model distinguished between connected vehicles (CVs), which received a cooperative message 1,500 meters upstream of the closure, and traditional vehicles, which relied on vertical signage appearing 336 meters upstream. Scenarios were run with market penetration levels ranging from 10% to 100% of light vehicles equipped for C-ITS. Key performance indicators included average speed, delay, lane volumes, and queue times upstream of the bottleneck. The results indicate that C-ITS messages generally improve traffic efficiency, though risks of disruption exist at lower market penetration levels. A consistent trend of delay reduction was observed upstream of the roadworks, with a maximum reduction of 8.66%. At the roadworks entrance, the average speed on the closing lane increased by approximately 10 km/h. Furthermore, at the highest market penetration level, queue times decreased significantly: by 60 seconds on the open lane and 25 seconds on the closing lane. These findings demonstrate that the system facilitates a shift of traffic from the slow to the fast lane, enhancing overall flow. However, the study notes that uneven traffic distribution could potentially overcharge the open lane if not managed correctly, highlighting a trade-off between efficiency gains and potential local disruptions. The significance of this work lies in providing quantitative evidence to support road operators and car manufacturers in defining operational logics for C-ITS deployments. By identifying that benefits increase with market penetration while risks are higher at lower adoption rates, the study offers a framework for assessing the viability of connected vehicle technologies. It underscores the importance of evaluating both potentialities and risks, such as traffic disruption, prior to implementation. The findings contribute to the broader field of intelligent transport systems by offering a validated microsimulation approach to assess the impact of cooperative messages on traffic dynamics, specifically in the context of static roadworks.

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