Research on Method for Determining ETC Channel Capacity and Service Level

Abstract

Although electronic toll collection (ETC) systems are widely used in China, domestic studies on the capacity of such systems remain insufficient. Most previous studies focus on the improvement of calculation methods for determining common charging channel capacity because such methods fail to identify the characteristics of traffic flow. On the basis of in-depth research on ETC system design, this study analyzes the characteristics of the ETC channel traffic flow, compared the calculation methods for road link capacity, for which a calculation method is then proposed. An analysis of the delay of ETC vehicles in charge channels is used as a basis for proposing an ETC channel service level classification method. The maximum service traffic volumes under different service levels are calculated. Findings provide a reference for ETC channel management and application.