Bluetooth readers used to provide non-route specific travel time information on DMS were found useful by 76 percent of travelers surveyed.

A survey of traveler information seekers in Chandler, AZ.

Date Posted
11/30/2014
Identifier
2014-B00961
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Travel Time on Arterials and Rural Highways: State-of-the-Practice Synthesis on Arterial Data Collection Technology

Summary Information

This report discussed current and emerging technologies used to detect travel times and improve traffic management on arterial roadways. Several deployments were discussed with benefits cited for a case study in Chandler Arizona where Bluetooth readers were used to detect travel times and provide real-time travel time information using dynamic message signs (DMS) on freeways between Chandler and adjacent cities of Phoenix and Tempe.



The Bluetooth detection system was designed to read Media Access Control (MAC) addresses from in-vehicle devices that make this information visible. The data collected were randomized for privacy and then time stamped to enable downstream detectors to estimate travel times. Average travel time estimates were then posted on DMS boards.



The system was developed and deployed in only three months. The City of Chandler kept the public informed on the installation and when it would be activated. In 2011, a web based survey was conducted to evaluate public reactions to the signs.

FINDINGS
  • 76 percent of respondents agreed that the travel time information posted was helpful.
  • 86 percent found the information easy to understand.
  • 88 percent found the travel time estimates to be accurate.
Overall findings suggested that even though the DMS boards did not specifically state what route the travel times were calculated for, respondents generally understood them.
Deployment Locations