The spatial variability of vehicle densities as determinant of urban network capacity

DOI10.1098/RSTA.2010.0099zbMATH Open1202.90070arXiv1101.4771OpenAlexW2130627446WikidataQ39949229 ScholiaQ39949229MaRDI QIDQ3065859FDOQ3065859

Authors: Amin Mazloumian, Nikolas Geroliminis, Dirk Helbing 

Publication date: 7 January 2011

Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Due to the complexity of the traffic flow dynamics in urban road networks, most quantitative descriptions of city traffic so far are based on computer simulations. This contribution pursues a macroscopic (fluid-dynamic) simulation approach, which facilitates a simple simulation of congestion spreading in cities. First, we show that a quantization of the macroscopic turning flows into units of single vehicles is necessary to obtain realistic fluctuations in the traffic variables, and how this can be implemented in a fluid-dynamic model. Then, we propose a new method to simulate destination flows without the requirement of individual route assignments. Combining both methods allows us to study a variety of different simulation scenarios. These reveal fundamental relationships between the average flow, the average density, and the variability of the vehicle densities. Considering the inhomogeneity of traffic as an independent variable can eliminate the scattering of congested flow measurements. The variability also turns out to be a key variable of urban traffic performance. Our results can be explained through the number of full links of the road network, and approximated by a simple analytical formula.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1101.4771

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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 970012

zbMATH Keywords

fundamental diagramurban trafficroute assignmentmacroscopic traffic modelcongestion spreadingnetwork dynamic

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Deterministic network models in operations research (90B10) Traffic problems in operations research (90B20)

Cites Work

• Self-organized network flows

Cited In (7)

• FLUCTUATIONS IN URBAN TRAFFIC NETWORKS
• Adaptive perimeter traffic control of urban road networks based on MFD model with time delays
• Steady-state traffic flow on a ring road with up- and down-slopes
• Iterative learning control approach for signaling split in urban traffic networks with macroscopic fundamental diagrams
• Crowded urban traffic: co-evolution among land development, population, roads and vehicle ownership
• Urban traffic simulated from the dual representation: flow, crisis and congestion
• Traffic jams: dynamics and control

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