trafiktoppe

Trafiktoppe is a term used in Swedish traffic engineering to describe a peak in traffic volume and congestion at a specific time or over a short period. The concept covers both regular peaks, such as morning and late afternoon rush hours, and irregular peaks caused by incidents, weather, holidays, or large events. Trafiktoppe are typically identified by a temporary rise in traffic density or a drop in average speeds on a road or network, often expressed as an hourly maximum flow or increased travel times.

Causes of trafiktoppe include commuter patterns, school start and end times, special events, roadworks, accidents, and adverse weather conditions. The interaction between demand and road capacity during these periods leads to slower speeds, longer queues, and higher variability in travel times. The magnitude and duration of a trafiktoppe depend on factors such as network design, redundancy, public transport options, and real-time incident management.

Impacts of trafiktoppe can be substantial, including longer travel times, increased fuel consumption and emissions, higher likelihood of secondary incidents, and reduced reliability of journeys. Monitoring relies on traffic sensors, cameras, and GPS-based data to measure hourly volumes, speeds, and queue lengths. Key metrics include peak-hour traffic flow, travel-time reliability, and congestion indexes.

Management strategies aim to reduce the severity or duration of trafiktoppe. These include optimizing signal timings and ramp metering, providing timely traveler information, improving incident response, enhancing public transport alternatives, and considering demand-management measures such as congestion pricing where appropriate. See also congestion, traffic management, and travel-time reliability.