Drivers’ Awareness of and Response to Two Significant Winter Storms Impacting a Metropolitan Area in the Intermountain West: Implications for Improving Traffic Flow in Inclement Weather

AbstractOver the past several decades, Utah has experienced rapid population growth, resulting in increased demand on Utah’s existing interstate and arterial infrastructure. In the Salt Lake City, Utah, metropolitan area, recurring traffic congestion (i.e., peak commute times) and nonrecurring congestion (weather related) result in an estimated average annual cost of $449 million. Recent Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) studies have confirmed that inclement weather plays a significant role in nonrecurring congestion and associated negative impacts. In an effort to measure and potentially mitigate weather-related traffic congestion, a cooperative research study between academic (University of Utah), state [Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)], federal (National Weather Service), and private sector (Weathernet) entities was undertaken.Driver awareness surveys were conducted for two significant winter storms along the Wasatch Front urban corridor. Participants typically used media and personal s...

[1]  Thomas L. Mote,et al.  Effects of winter precipitation on automobile collisions, injuries, and fatalities in the United States , 2015 .

[2]  Jean Andrey,et al.  Insights into driver adaptation to inclement weather in Canada , 2013 .

[3]  The Effect of Snow on Traffic Counts in Western New York State , 2011 .

[4]  Tim Lomax,et al.  TTI's 2010 URBAN MOBILITY REPORT Powered by INRIX Traffic Data , 2010 .

[5]  Lin Qiu,et al.  Effects of Adverse Weather on Traffic Crashes , 2008 .

[6]  Eve Gruntfest,et al.  Information sources for flash flood warnings in Denver, CO and Austin, TX , 2007 .

[7]  S. Drobot.  Evaluation of winter storm warnings : a case study of the Colorado Front Range December 20-21, 2006, winter storm , 2007 .

[8]  P. Gollwitzer,et al.  Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes , 2006 .

[9]  T. Maze,et al.  Whether Weather Matters to Traffic Demand, Traffic Safety, and Traffic Operations and Flow , 2006 .

[10]  D. Call.  Rethinking Snowstorms as Snow Events: A Regional Case Study from Upstate New York , 2005 .

[11]  D. Eisenberg,et al.  Effects of snowfalls on motor vehicle collisions, injuries, and fatalities. , 2005, American journal of public health.

[12]  Paul A Pisano,et al.  WEATHER-RESPONSIVE TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL , 2004 .

[13]  Carol M. Werner,et al.  Personal and Contextual Factors Supporting the Switch to Transit Use: Evaluating a Natural Transit Intervention , 2003 .

[14]  J. Andrey,et al.  Weather as a Chronic Hazard for Road Transportation in Canadian Cities , 2003 .

[15]  Richard Wener,et al.  The Morning Rush Hour , 2002 .

[16]  Ted R. Miller,et al.  THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES, 2000 , 2002 .

[17]  W. J. Steenburgh,et al.  Weather Support for the 2002 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games , 2002 .

[18]  Alexander Skabardonis,et al.  Freeway Performance Measurement System: Operational Analysis Tool , 2002 .

[19]  J. Goldberg.  Economic impact of motor vehicle crashes. , 2002, Annals of Emergency Medicine.

[20]  P. Gollwitzer.  Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. , 1999 .