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Measuring delays for bicycles at signalized intersections using smartphone GPS tracking data

Abstract:

The article describes an application of global positioning system (GPS) tracking data (floating bike data) for measuring delays for cyclists at signalized intersections. For selected intersections, we used trip data collected by smartphone tracking to calculate the average delay for cyclists by interpolation between GPS locations before and after the intersection. The outcomes were proven to be stable for different strategies in selecting the GPS locations used for calculation, although GPS locations too close to the intersection tended to lead to an underestimation of the delay. Therefore, the sample frequency of the GPS tracking data is an important parameter to ensure that suitable GPS locations are available before and after the intersection. The calculated delays are realistic values, compared to the theoretically expected values, which are often applied because of the lack of observed data. For some of the analyzed intersections, however, the calculated delays lay outside of the expected range, possibly because the statistics assumed a random arrival rate of cyclists. This condition may not be met when, for example, bicycles arrive in platoons because of an upstream intersection. This justifies that GPS-based delays can form a valuable addition to the theoretically expected values.