The potential of Connected Cruise Control in the Netherlands

This paper presents the in-car advisory system Connected Cruise Control. The system gives advice - which is determined in a central back office based on the traffic state - to the driver, in order to prevent or solve suboptimal traffic flow conditions. The system aims at optimal lane distribution in high flow conditions and a reduction of the capacity drop by advising drivers to maintain a short (but safe) headway at the end of a traffic jam. The system was implemented in a microscopic simulation tool to evaluate the potential benefits for different penetration and compliance rates. With the simulation results, insight is gained into the situations in which the system is most effective. With loop detector data from motorways and other major roads in The Netherlands it is analyzed how often the situations in which the system is most effective happen. This lead to an estimation of the potential of Connected Cruise Control in The Netherlands.