Los Angeles County Traffic Analysis Geog 176c - Project Proposal Project Advisor: Kirk Goldsberry Group Members: Tyler Brundage Cara Moore Art Eisberg David Fleishman AJ Block

Motivation L.A. has some of the worst traffic in the world People hate traffic Traffic creates economic loss Time matters!

Traffic “Traffic jams cost the average city $900,000,000 in lost work time and wasted fuel every year.” - USA Today August 2003

Traffic “‘In 2003, each driver in L.A. lost an average of 93 hours due to congestion.’” - (Schrank and Lomax, 2005). http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/graduate/PhDResearch/BKGasJun29.pdf

Motivation Everyone has perceptions of L.A. traffic trends Some are more accurate than others Cab drivers likely to have accurate views of traffic trends Out-of-towners not likely to have an accurate view of traffic trends Bottom line: these cognitive maps are based on perceptions

Objectives We wish to improve these perceptions using empirical data to create an atlas of L.A. traffic trends for the general public

Bring relevance to the cognitive maps of L.A. traffic Objectives Bring relevance to the cognitive maps of L.A. traffic Supplement human perceptions of traffic trends in L.A. with empirical data

Objectives Use GIS to depict LA traffic trends Highlight problem areas and time periods Create a straightforward representation of traffic trends for the general public

Methods Use statistical software to average traffic speeds for each day of the week at specified times over a three month period, which will then be used to calculate the Travel Time Index (TTI)

Travel Time Index We will be using the metric know as the Travel Time Index (TTI) upon which to base our analysis The TTI equals the free-flow traffic velocity divided by the mean measured traffic velocity

Travel Time Index In layman’s terms, the TTI indicates how much longer a trip would take than in free-flow conditions If TTI = 1, the trip would take the same amount of time as free flow traffic If TTI = 2, the trip would take twice as long

Travel Time Index The TTI in 2003 for Los Angeles was 1.75, the worst in the country!

Methods Build a geodatabase containing the major highways of L.A. county Simplify L.A. highways into a schematic map to create maps which can be easily understood by the general public Create a relationship class linking the TTI to sensor locations

Methods Decide on class breaks for the TTI to create thematic maps of traffic trends throughout the week Create a geovisualization of traffic trends throughout the week depicting TTI taken at various sensors throughout L.A. county Publish webpage for general public

Data Sources Traffic data from freeway sensors provided by PeMS Data (Freeway Performance Measuring System) from the Cal Berkeley Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. http://pems.eecs.berkeley.edu/

Anticipated Problems Gaps in data Large amount of data- Over 17,000 text files! Abnormal travel days and accidents

Anticipated Problems Technical difficulties Finding a balance between simplifying highways for clarity and maintaining actual geography

Likely Results An accurate depiction of average L.A. traffic trends throughout the week presented in an easily accessible system understood by a wide demographic population Create an atlas of traffic trends for the general public to influence public perceptions of traffic trends

Likely Results Depict the influence time has on traffic trends Prove the importance of considering time in travel

Potential Results Change the behavior of drivers Create a model that will support arguments for improved public transportation in areas of high congestion

Potential Future Projects Develop more in-depth analysis of the affects of time/day on travel time so services such as MapQuest can give more accurate time estimations Use developed schematic map of L.A. county freeways to display traffic in real time.

Background Research Average L.A. Freeway Traffic Versus Time and Day of Week - Tom Chester, retired Astrophysicist, work from 1997 The average L.A. traffic congestion pattern is almost like clockwork, following the same pattern day after day. Even though the average L.A. traffic congestion pattern is quite repeatable, the actual current traffic on any individual freeway is much more variable. Quoted from http://home.znet.com/schester/calculations/traffic/la/index.html

Background Research Average L.A. Freeway Traffic Versus Time and Day of Week - Tom Chester, retired Astrophysicist, work from 1997 25-32% of all sensors in L.A. county indicate bad congestion during the morning rush hour and the afternoon rush hour from Tuesday through Friday! 5-10% of all sensors indicate bad congestion at all times of all days, except Sundays and possibly between midnight and 6 a.m. Fridays are by far the worst traffic day for the evening commute of the weekdays Monday afternoon rush hour congestion is always the lowest of the week. Quoted from http://home.znet.com/schester/calculations/traffic/la/index.html

Background Research * Y-axis indicates the fraction of sensors indicating congestion From http://home.znet.com/schester/calculations/traffic/la/index.html

Background Research * Y-axis indicates the fraction of sensors indicating congestion From http://home.znet.com/schester/calculations/traffic/la/index.html

Traffic Texas Transportation Institute http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

Traffic Texas Transportation Institute http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

Traffic Texas Transportation Institute http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

Current Real-Time Traffic Maps

Current Real-Time Traffic Maps

Current Real-Time Traffic Maps