Traffic Operation on a Road Network With Recurrent Congestion

Abstract

Congestion is the natural consequence of intensive use of a road network in developed urban areas and is among the most critical negative factors affecting urban quality of life. There are several types of congestion, but the real damage is done by recurrent congestion during rush hours. Road networks with recurrent congestion are found in urban-suburban areas where the traffic volume is high enough and the road network is sufficiently dense to speak of network congestion. This congestion is caused by urban growth and long-term handling of it is more a matter of traffic management, rather than road design. According to our research, traffic operations of road networks with recurrent congestion remarkably differ from the traffic of both the non-congested road networks and the supposed mode of operation of the network, during the planning process. Our results are based on wide-range traffic data collection (traffic counts and trip time measurement) and their analysis. The formation of congestion on a road network with recurrent congestion plays out a typical scenario. In this scenario, some special traffic phenomena play important roles, for example, the wide-range use of alternative routes. The importance of the problem can be seen, as in some cases, within the most important cross-section, as the flow from local roads can reach 70-80% and drivers using alternative routes can reach 30-40% of the total flow. This research outlines a concept which integrates the interesting and important traffic phenomena of recurrent congestion into one theoretical system. The concept provides practical applicability in traffic management and offers the possibility of involving other sciences, such as psychology, sociology and game theory into congestion management. This new concept could fundamentally change the way we think about traffic congestion.

Urban Mobility and Qualitative Research in Historic Places

“…Urban growth has become a problem in Aguascalientes and certain avenues keep heavy traffic in rush hours. When referring to traffic operation with recurrent congestion Szele argues that the unfairness of traffic operation is based on a contradiction between individual and social interests [6], but individual interests can be changed with a contemporary traffic consciousness among car drivers.…”

Traffic Management of the Congested Urban-suburban Arterial Roads

“…The results presented in this paper are based on a comprehensive research [14,15] investigating the congested urban-suburban road networks consist an arterial road and the joining local roads complemented by the alternative routes used. On those networks, the more important intersections are typically signalized, but there are non-signalized nodes for the local flows, which can have significant traffic, especially during the congestion.…”

“…The first queues created here, and it is the starting point for the congestion of the arterial road, called primary congestion. This congestion then spreads to the crossing, weaving, merging flows, and the alternative routes, where the secondary congestions [14] developed. Finally, the condition of the traffic is transformed into a widely congested state involved the whole network.…”

“…The effects of type "B" alternative routes are more significant operation. It is an important detail that surprisingly big part of this flow tends to avoid the congested arterial road by using alternative routes [14] (see Figs. 1 and 2).…”

Online Calibration of Microscopic Road Traffic Simulator

“…In recent years, rapid growth of urban mobility demand is getting urban traffic network much more crowded [1]. As a result, effective traffic management is becoming one of the most pressing problems in big metropolitan areas.…”