Solve question 4 CASE STUDY: WMA EXIT 53 TOLL PLAZA Western Motorway Authority (

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Solve question 4

CASE STUDY: WMA EXIT 53 TOLL PLAZA Western Motorway Authority (WMA) operates a network of toll roads connecting three urbanized areas. Each of its toll collection plazas offers a choice of payment methods to approaching drivers, including WMA FAST, a subscription service that allows drivers to pay wire- lessly as they pass through a special toll lane without stopping. Exit 53 Toll Plaza is a typical WMA facility, equipped with five toll lanes, including one dedicated to WMA FAST subscribers only. The remain ing four lanes are equipped with booths from which WMA attendants collect tolls manually, known as cash lanes even though attendants can process credit and debit card payments for an additional fee. Since exit 53 is the end point of a long commuter route into a city center, toll prices are too high at this plaza to make automated coin collection a practical choice, although WMA does use this technology elsewhere. While exit 53 is equipped with five toll lanes, WMA only operates all five lanes during special events. The fully automated WMA FAST lane is always open to arriving subscribers and can process an average of one vehicle every 3 seconds. Attendants in the cash lanes generally average one vehicle every 15 seconds when busy, and WMA usually varies the number of open cash lanes between one and three, depending on traffic con- ditions. During the 24 hours of a typical weekday, exit 53 cycles between three levels of traffic conditions, described in the Weekly Data for Exit 53 table. Weekday Data for Exit 53 Traffic Conditions Commuter Hours Business Hours Overnight Relevant time periods 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.;5 a.m. to 6 a.m. 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 8 p.m to 12 a.m. 7p.m. to 8 p.m Proportion of WMA FAST 25% Average number of cars per hour 1,500 100 Approaching drivers who subscribe to WMA FAST follow brightly colored markens toward their dedicated lane, while the remaining drivers sort themselves evenly into short queues before the open cash lanes. Since frequent users of the toll plaza are more likely to subscribe to WMA FAST, the proportion of subscribers is highest during commute times and lowest overnight. One serious concern for WMA is tailback, or the length of the queue of vehicles that forms in front of a busy cash lane tollbooth. If WMA has too few cash lanes open and the resulting tailback grows long, this creates unsafe congestion in the approach area where drivers slow their vehicles and choose a lane. To maintain a safe approach area, WMA has determined that this fluctuating tailback should not average more than four waiting vehicles per lane. To open a cash lane, WMA must schedule an attendant, who will work a 4-hour shift in that lane. On weekdays, attendants can be scheduled to start work at midnight, 4 a.m., 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m., or 8 p.m.

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

WMA : Western Authority Motorways: WMA operates a network of toll roads connecting the three urbanized areas. The toll station provides the options for payment processes. WMA tools have multiple lanes with card sweep option and Fast service subscription option. The drivers can use the fast subscription service that allows driver to pay while passing the toll lane without stopping the vehicle.

Toll Exist 53:   This is the toll exist numbered as 53. It is equipped with five lanes, four of the lanes are cash counters like card sweep for payment and one lane is FAST subscription lane where drivers are not required to stop the vehicle and they can execute their payment in fast online mode, by color identification on vehicle.

Utilization of the WMA FAST lane installation at exist 53 : The utilization of Fast lane subscription in commute hours (peak hours) is around 75%, while during business hours is 50% and during night time it is 25%. Thus this lane mainly helps in the peak hours where this facility helps for speedy toll collection for 75%. Of its time. Thus it helps in clearing lot of vehicles, which would have added the inventory to the other cash counter lanes.

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