Estimation of speeds from single-loop freeway flow and occupancy data using cusp catastrophe theory model

Many freeway management systems rely on single-loop detectors, which can measure only flow and occupancy, for information on freeway operating conditions. Although it is possible to estimate average speeds from those data by assuming a constant vehicle length, such estimates are not particularly good. The catastrophe theory model for these variables provides an alternative procedure for estimating average speeds. To apply it, different …