Effects of highway management on traffic flow characteristics

Traffic telematics systems have been used to increase road capacity as well as safety. On highways, this is accomplished with the usage of so called highway management systems, which among others through speed harmonization, ramp metering, informing about weather conditions or danger on road addresses these issues. Such system was recently implemented for the first time also in the Czech Republic. In this paper, the results from the first months of operation will be provided. First, the expected theoretical effects of such system on traffic flow characteristics will be provided and discussed. These effects follow the theoretical foundations of traffic flow theory, represented for example by fundamental diagram or changes to road capacity due to speed harmonization. Based on the measured data, the results of the particular implementation in the city of Prague, Czech Republic will be provided. The results will be discussed and compared to international experiences.