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Yongfeng Ma 1 and Wenbo Zhang 2 and Junping Xie 3 and Jian Lu 1
Academic Editor:Ming Yang
1, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Urban ITS, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210096, China
2, Transportation Engineering and Infrastructure Systems, Department of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
3, School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
Received 12 July 2014; Accepted 23 August 2014; 16 November 2014
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1. Introduction
Traffic incident management (TIM), as an important component of intelligent transportation system (ITS), is defined as the coordinated, preplanned, and/or real-time use of human resources and equipment to reduce the durations and impacts of traffic incidents [1, 2]. To meet the goals, TIM involves a systematic approach for reducing the amount of time of detecting and verifying traffic incidents, generating appropriate incident response, disseminating motorist information, clearing incidents, and managing incoming traffic until capacity is restored [3]. In practice, TIM plays a vital role in alleviating traffic congestion, saving losses, and increasing safety. Maryland's DOT Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) reduced the average incident duration by 23% and saved $578 million with travel delay reductions alone in 2005 [4]. Another TIM, Florida's Road Ranger Program, saved 1.7 million gallons of fuel valued at $3.4 million monthly [5]. For San Antonio TransGuide System, a before-and-after study showed a 35% decrease in crashes [6].
To implement the TIM programs, much artificial work was made in incident detection, identification, and response. With the development of ITSs, more automated approaches were introduced into TIM programs. Specifically for incident detection, information dissemination, and incident response, many researches obtained useful achievements. Ma et al. introduced four approaches, reporting hotlines, traffic cameras, traffic sensors, and freeway service patrols, into incident management system and found that the four-integrated approach outperformed the application of four approaches alone to detect incidents [7]. Variable message signs, 5-1-1 system, and Highway advisory radio were also incorporated into TIM to control traffic and transfer information [8]. Some classic...