Time gap

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Time gap is a technical term in traffic engineering and describes the time span in which two vehicles following one another pass a certain point. Measurement points on the vehicle are either the front or the rear.

Measured values ​​for the respective time spans are obtained by light barriers , induction loops or video recording . Time measurement with the stopwatch is somewhat less precise, but it can be used independently of complex technology.

In traffic engineering, gaps in time are needed in order to draw conclusions about the traffic volume (vehicles per hour) and the traffic density (vehicles per kilometer) of a road section. A distinction is made between the terms net time gap and gross time gap .

Net time gap

Net time gap

The net time gap comprises the time between the rear of a vehicle in front and the front of a vehicle behind.

Gross time gap

Gross time gap

The gross time gap comprises the time between the front of a vehicle in front and the front of a vehicle behind. The gross time gap is therefore the net time gap plus the time corresponding to the length of the vehicle in front.

Path gap

The path gap comprises the spatial distance between two vehicles following one another. Similar to the time gap, a distinction is made between the gross and net spatial gap for the path gap. In the case of the net space gap ( net distance), the spatial distance between the rear of a vehicle in front and the front of a vehicle behind is measured. The gross space gap (gross distance) comprises the spatial distance between the front of a vehicle in front and the front of a vehicle behind.

The gross distance between vehicles in a column of vehicles following one another is referred to as the following distance (following distance).

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