The global transport modelling company Aimsun is launching a smart traffic management project to predict traffic jams before they happen, and work out ways of changing traffic patterns to stop the build-up.
It’s been chosen to deliver the project in Norway’s second largest city of Bergen as part of the NordicWay 3 programme.
The pilot will use the Aimsun Live solution to analyse real-time traffic data and historic travel patterns and predict what will happen on the road network in the next 60 minutes. This will help traffic operators make informed decisions on how to use ITS solutions such as changing signal timings or suggesting alternative routes, to mitigate congestion and keep traffic flowing smoothly.
The main focus of the Bergen pilot is tunnel closure management and predicting the effects of rerouting, particularly in Bergen vest and Damsgårdstunnelen and Løvstakktunnelen. The pilot aims to show the effects on traffic flow when a tunnel is closed, and how predictive modelling and decision support can help to mitigate congestion, traffic-related emissions and optimise traffic management. The pilot will also serve as a test for the accuracy of predictive models.
The Aimsun Live project has been contracted by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA, locally known as Statens vegvesen). This pilot forms part of Norway’s part-funded role in the NordicWay 3 C-ITS EU program.
“We have a long working relationship with NPRA, and Bergen already has an Aimsun Next microscopic model, which will form the base for the Aimsun Live project,” commented Aimsun’s regional Managing Director, Gavin Jackman. “Transport modelling has proved to be invaluable in planning the way people and goods move around a city – Bergen is now taking this to the next level by using prediction.”
Aimsun will work with NPRA and their local consultant, COWI, to deliver this pilot in spring 2021, ready for evaluation over the spring and summer.
