A Review of Approaches to the Study of Weather's Effect on Road Traffic Parameters

Abstract

The paper describes selected research achievements into the effect of weather on road traffic from the perspective of various combinations of traffic characteristics and meteorological conditions. Studies to date have focused on different traffic parameters and changes in them as a consequence of weather variety. In making a comparative analysis, researchers identify the optimal weather conditions for road traffic and driver perception. Research in this field is conducted using a variety of data resources, backgrounds, and methodologies. The review of papers shows that results may be strongly dependent on the subject region (especially the climate zone), human behavior, and the legal framework (e.g., speed restrictions). However, the local view is important as well, and information regarding specific road attributes should not be overlooked. Comparison of the results of individual studies can be problematic owing to the myriad of different methodologies, so the description of any analysis of weather's effect on road traffic parameters must include detailed information about the researcher's specific approach to the problem as the following paragraphs of the paper advocate.

Multistage Impacts of the Heavy Rain Process on the Travel Speeds of Urban Roads

“…Adverse weather conditions, such as rain, may significantly influence the traffic efficiency of urban roads, such as travel speeds and times, resulting in a deterioration of road network performance [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Heavy rain can cause the highest drop in travel speeds compared with light and moderate rain [5,7] because heavy rain can not only significantly reduce visibility but also induce flooding with a high probability, which increases accident risks and reduces roadway capacity [6,[8][9][10][11]. Therefore, decision-makers should pay more attention to the impacts of the continuous heavy rain process on the traffic efficiency of urban roads when developing effective traffic management measures and enhancing city resilience to adverse weather.…”