The Use of Vehicle Presence Detectors in Metropolitan Traffic-Control Systems

Abstract

In recent years, a characteristic possessed by some types of vehicle detectors, referred to as presence detection, has been the foundation of a new approach to the measurement and control of traffic. This characteristic is that property of a vehicle detector which allows it to examine a small segment of a traffic lane and to indicate either continuously or periodically whether any portion of a vehicle is occupying that segment. Presence detectors are most generally recognized by their ability to indicate the presence of a parked vehicle for an indefinite period of time.