Quantifying the phantom jam externality: the case of an Autobahn section in Germany

Abstract

If not restricted by tolls, private decisions to drive on a highway result in inefficiently high usage which leads to traffic jams. When traffic demand is high, traffic jams can occur simply because of the interaction of vehicle drivers on the road, a phenomenon called phantom jam. The probability of phantom jams occurring increases with traffic flow. Unpriced externalities lead to inefficiently high road usage. We offer a method for quantifying traffic jam externalities and identifying and isolating the phantom jam externality. We examine the method by applying it to a specific highway section in Germany. The maximal congestion externality for the analyzed highway section is about 38 cents per vehicle and kilometer. Congestion charges that are calculated ignoring phantom jam externalities, can only internalize two-thirds of the true externality.

Consequences of load distribution in selected vehicles in the context of changing the position of the vehicle’s centre of gravity

“…There is also a danger of suspension destruction in connection with a sudden body descent that can be a reason for a car accident, as also given in publication 11 in which the authors concluded that the axle road is the main cause of heavy weight vehicles' malfunctions on highways in Poland, and then there is an increased risk of congestions due to obstructions, which is a frequent phenomena on the highways. Thus, the axle load has a negative impact on the economics, air quality as well as supply chains [12][13][14] . The axle load is also connected with a breach of legislation, and it could happen when the maximum permissible vehicle mass is not exceeded as well 15 .…”

A Three-Dimensional Evaluation Model of the Externalities of Highway Infrastructures to Capture the Temporal and Spatial Distance to Optimal—A Case Study of China

“…However, due to the rapidly increasing in car ownership and the concerns of global warming, negative externalities brought by highway infrastructures, such as congestion, accidents, air pollution, and noise, are widely criticized. In the realm of mobility, the increasing severity of traffic congestion and the increasing number of accidents have increased the transportation cost and safety cost of residents [51,52]. For example, traffic congestion costs the United Kingdom economy an estimated ₤6.9 billion a year in lost time in 2019 [58].…”