Twin Cities truck traffic management strategies

• Published in: Transactions on the built environment Vol. 89; pp. 159 - 168
• Main Authors: MAZE, T. H, GALE, R
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Southampton WIT 2006; Boston W I T Press
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Capital costs; Commercial vehicles; Exact sciences and technology; Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Information management; Light duty vehicles; Low cost; Metropolitan areas; Road transportation and traffic; Roads; Traffic management; Traffic planning; Transportation; Transportation planning, management and economics; Trucks; Vehicles; Minnesota; United States; North America; America; USA, Minnesota, Minneapolis; International conference; Urban transportation; Traffic management; Strategy; Road traffic; Traffic congestion; Freight transportation; Heavy truck
• ISBN: 9781845641795; 1845641795
• ISSN: 1746-4498; 1743-3509
• DOI: 10.2495/UT060171

Heavy commercial vehicles have significantly different vehicle performance characteristics than light vehicles, and generally have different trip patterns (both spatially and temporally). As a result, the special needs of heavy commercials are not always met by standard roadway and facility designs, traveller information, and roadway operating/management process. The purpose of the research described in this paper was to investigate the traffic management strategies that could be applied in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St, Paul, MN, to improve truck traffic transportation within the area, and to develop implementation plans for applying the strategies. All the strategies recommended are relatively low cost, represent marginal improvements, can be feasibly accomplished within a few years, and require no special financial appropriation. The investigators were surprised that the most promising strategies involved only low-cost or no-cost policy change as opposed to high capital costs infrastructure or design improvements.