Investigation of macroscopic fundamental diagrams in urban road network using an agent-based model
Open access
Date
2011Type
- Conference Paper
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Congestion pricing is considered an effective management policy to reduce traffic congestion in transportation networks. To study congestion pricing schemes in urban networks, one would require a simulation model which can represent demand elasticity and traffic supply dynamics. Two main inadequacies exist in current simulation models. Firstly, the traditional traffic simulators with car-following lane-changing and route choice models consider traffic demand as input, i.e. inelastic to level of congestion conditions. Secondly, in traditional congestion pricing models with elastic demand, the utilized network supply curve is not consistent with the physics of traffic and dynamics of congestion and queues. Also, many of these models are assuming deterministic and homogeneous population characteristics. This might result in non- optimal estimated tolls. Agent-based models are possible solutions for representing demand elasticity. This is because heterogeneous travelling agents are used in the models, (i) each agent has an individual utility function, (ii) each agent has individual value of travel time savings and (iii) one agent’s behaviour affects other agents’ decisions. For network supply modeling, it has been broadly shown through field tests and traffic simulations that traffic in large urban regions can be modelled dynamically at an aggregate level, as expressed by a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD). If the output of an agent-based model shows the property of the MFD, it would be interesting to develop a dynamic network-wide congestion pricing schemes controlled by this macroscopic tool. Therefore the goal of this paper is to investigate whether an agent-based simulation model produces results consistent with the physics of traffic and whether a MFD can be observed. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-006686291Publication status
publishedJournal / series
Arbeitsberichte Verkehrs- und RaumplanungVolume
Publisher
STRCEvent
Subject
Agent-based model; Demand elasticity; Urban network; MFD; MATSim; Congestion modelingOrganisational unit
03521 - Axhausen, Kay W. (emeritus) / Axhausen, Kay W. (emeritus)
02226 - NSL - Netzwerk Stadt und Landschaft / NSL - Network City and Landscape
02655 - Netzwerk Stadt u. Landschaft ARCH u BAUG / Network City and Landscape ARCH and BAUG
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ETH Bibliography
yes
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