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The impact of precipitation on speed–flow relationships along a UK motorway corridor

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Abstract

Although the fundamental traffic diagram provides the characteristics of a typical road traffic speed–flow relationship, little consideration has been given to the impact of adverse weather conditions on the relationship and the subsequent impact on local speed–flow. For the first time, this study uses precipitation radar along with a state-of-the art traffic information system to ascertain the relationship between speed–flow and precipitation on a UK transport corridor at the local (junction to junction) scale. It is evident that precipitation causes a significant reduction in speed and maximum flow on many links of the corridor as well as a downward reduction in the overall speed-flow relationship. With increased instances of heavy precipitation predicted in the UK as a result of climate change, these findings highlight the subsequent impact on journey travel times and associated economic costs.

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Acknowledgments

This work is funded by EPSRC ARCC and is part of the FUTURENET project which aims to identify the impact of climate change on the UK transport network (EP/G060762). The authors would like to thank the Highways Agency and the IBI Group for providing the HATRIS traffic data as well as the UKMO (via BADC) for providing the NIMROD precipitation radar data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Elizabeth Hooper & Lee Chapman

  2. School of Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Andrew Quinn

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  1. Elizabeth Hooper
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  2. Lee Chapman
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Correspondence to Lee Chapman.

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Hooper, E., Chapman, L. & Quinn, A. The impact of precipitation on speed–flow relationships along a UK motorway corridor. Theor Appl Climatol 117, 303–316 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-013-0999-5

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