Toll Estimation as a function of Time-Dependent Link Cost, vehicle category and distance– A Case Study for Karachi

The time-based speed data has been analyzed till date through the fixed detectorsor loop based detectors fixed at road. These conventional methods were merelyapplicable scarcely on arterials or some major inter-city roads as their shifting isan arduous job every now and then. Simultaneously the livelier up rise of theIntelligent Transportation System (ITS) and its integration with the state-of-theartGPS technology in the transportation sector has given a fresh dimension to it.It stretches the data collection from rather a point to the whole route and hence anopening to an in-depth examination of speed, travel time, delay, identification ofbottlenecks and other essential traffic attributes connected to colossal progressionof cost estimation.This paper utilizes the tracker data logged on a server specifically designated torecord time based position and speed of vehicle. The success of this advancedapproach lies in the association of log route modification with respect to the GPScoordinates. The delay functions are used to calculate the extra cost on road usersdue to superfluous load of vehicles. It explains the variations in this cost withtime. This paper also demonstrates a function to internalize this cost oncommuters through a toll stimulus.The results specifically identify time based link cost and further provides way tooptimize the travel cost through internalization of external cost on the wholenetwork. As a coda this method provides an effective use of GPS within thetransportation ensuing in the more apt functioning of the transportation systemand eventually abating the monetary losses. It sets basis for toll estimation as afunction of additional cost put by the road user. It will also assist in-carnavigationsystem, once available.

Keywords:

Time-Dependent Link Cost , Congestion Pricing