FRELANE can be ordered from the ITS Systems Unit.

Background: Research was conducted at UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies in an effort to develop and calibrate a more reliable technique for evaluating weaving performance. This research is described in "A Proposed Analytical Technique for the Design and Analysis of Major Freeway Weaving Sections", an ITS Research Report, UCB-ITS-RR-90-16, 1990, by M. Cassidy, P. Chan, B. Robinson, and A. D. May. The technique that was developed during this research was then computerized and the resulting model was called FREWEV.

Additional research developed point-flow prediction methods to analyze additional segments of the freeway. This research is described in "Improved Freeway Analysis Techniques: Ramp and Weaving Operations for Freeway Lane Model," an ITS Research Report, UCB-ITS-RR-92-4, 1992, by B. Robinson, M. Vandehey, G. Mazur, and A. D. May and in "Improved Freeway Analysis Techniques: Flow Fundamentals for Freeway Lane Model", an ITS Research Report, UCB-ITS-RR-91-5, 1991.

A new model called FRELANE was developed which contains the previously developed FREWEV model plus the implementation of the new techniques that were developed for the additional specific segment types.

Description of model: FRELANE is an interactive menu driven program for designing and analyzing eight different types of freeway segments. FRELANE enables the user to select one of the eight freeway segments, to enter input data on graphic screens of that segment, and then to analyze the freeway section using a total point-flow prediction method.

The FRELANE model can analyze the following types of freeway segments:

• Major weave (four types)
• Simple weave with an auxiliary lane
• On-off without an auxiliary lane
• Straight pipe
• Isolated on
• Isolated off
• On-on
• Multiple weave (one type)

FRELANE can be run in two different modes. The Empirical mode allows the program to analyze only sections that adhere to the design and demand values for which empirical data was observed. The Empirical and Simulation mode not only allows the program to analyze sections for which there is empirical data but also to analyze sections that have design and demand values outside the range for which the empirical data was collected. The data for such sections has been generated through simulation runs.

The model calculates values at up to 7 points along the section. The output includes the total point flow at each of the analysis points, the point flow by movement at each analysis point, and the amount of traffic crossing the lane boundaries in the conflict area computed between each of the analysis points.

FRELANE produces a variety of screen displays and hard copy outputs.

System requirements: FRELANE is written for the PC with a math coprocessor. Printouts of the freeway geometry require a printer with the IBM character set. FRELANE is a DOS program that runs under Windows.

User's Guide: "FRELANE: An Analysis Model for Major Freeway Weaving Sections and Selected Freeway Segments", UCB-ITS-RR-93-14,1994, by Lannon Leiman, Barbara K. Ostrom, John Windover, and Adolf D. May.