The Impact of Rainfall and Temperature on Peak and Off-Peak Urban Traffic

This paper focuses on quantifying the effect of rainfall and temperature intensities on urban traffic characteristics in peak and off-peak respectively hours using traffic data from Greater Manchester, UK, as a case study. Three broader issues are addressed: (1) the impact of rainfall on urban traffic; (2) the impact of rainfall intensity on traffic flow parameters at both peak and off-peak periods; (3) the impact of atmospheric temperature level on peak and off-peak urban traffic. Our contribution arises both from the combination of data sources included in the study as well as the separate analyses of peak and off-peak weather effects on traffic. This is the first study undertaken in a real urban environment with reduced operating speed (30mph). This research can provide urban traffic policymakers with crucial information that can be used to modify or develop traffic planning decisions in order to maximize the traffic network utilization.