Keith Vodden Dr. Douglas Smith - Transports Canada

Analysis and Estimation of the Social Cost of Motor Vehicle Collisions in Ontario
each affected vehicle is stopped for two hours followed by one hour of detour/delayed
travel.
• Time Cost: As noted, the congestion cost model uses a stop time of two hours (or
the duration of closure whichever is smaller) and a slow driving/detour time of
one hour (or the duration of closure whichever is smaller). Further assume that
“normal” traffic volume is 2,000 vehicles per hour. This implies a total of 6,000
affected vehicles, 1.5 persons per vehicle and three hours of delay. Person hours
of delay time would be 6,000*1.5*3 or 27,000 hours. Each hour is valued at
$20.60 for a cost of $556,200.
• Fuel Cost: In this incident, we have two hours of stop time during which we
assume that heating/ air conditioning means that the vehicles idle for two hours
followed by one hour of additional driving time. This means that each of 6,000
vehicles uses 2.25 litres per idling hour plus 5.5 litres per hour for additional
driving time. For two hours stopped and one hour of delayed driving, this is 4.5
idling litres and 5.5 driving for a total of 10 litres times 6,000 vehicles. The total
of 60,000 litres is valued at $0.766 per litre (the 2004 price) for a total of
$45,960.
• Emission Costs: Emissions are calculated from idling time and incremental
driving time for the 6,000 vehicles. Idling emissions are 6,000*490*2 hours,
where 490 is 245 kg doubled and extra driving emissions are 6,000*245*1 hour.
Total emissions are 7,350 tonnes and each tonne is costed at $70. Total emission
costs are $514,500.
• Total Costs: This is the sum of the three costs above for a total of $1,116,660.
This describes how costs are calculated for each COMPASS-reported incident
from the Toronto data.
e) Cost Estimates due to Traffic Delays
The core cost parameters are described in the preceding sections for each of the
major cost areas. The COMPASS system of MTO provided the remaining data. For
2004, the major Toronto COMPASS incidents were reviewed. This was a total of 246
cases. A sample of these cases was then selected for detailed analysis of each individual
case. The sample consisted of all recorded Toronto COMPASS incidents recorded in
the first month of each quarter, effectively capturing seasonal variations within the year.
This provided 70 cases that were entered into a spreadsheet showing date, time, location
of the incident and roads and/or lanes affected, as described in the COMPASS incident
reports. These data, in spreadsheet form, were sent to MTO to review and to provide
traffic volume data (24 hour traffic distribution data) at the specific location of each of
these incidents for that road at the specified time during which the stoppages and delays
occurred. We integrated these data with the COMPASS incident report data to estimate
delay and congestion times (in person hours) for each of the incidents. That is, all 70
154 TNS Canadian Facts, Social and Policy Research