ABSTRACT
TRL Limited analyse traffic data collected from selected sections of the English motorway network on a monthly basis. These data are taken from the inductive loop detectors which are an integral part of the motorway Incident Detection and Signing system. TRL conducted a study of the traffic conditions during the September 2000 fuel crisis and compared them with traffic conditions immediately prior to and afterwards. The flows were much lower during the fuel crisis, approximately 5100 vehicles per hour, compared with approximately 6600vph before, a reduction of about 23 per cent. The speeds on the motorways were more consistent during the fuel crisis than the preceding week. For clarity, the speed/flow for after the fuel crisis is not displayed, however it is similar to the before period. The source of bias may be due to changes in vehicle composition during the fuel crisis, compared with before and afterwards.
