A fast simulation algorithm for multiple moving bottlenecks and applications in urban freight traffic management

Michele D. Simoni and Christian G. Claudel

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 2017, vol. 104, issue C, 238-255

Abstract: Moving bottlenecks are moving capacity restrictions that affect traffic flows, and they can be used to describe the effects of buses and trucks in transportation networks. The computation of solutions associated with the presence of moving bottlenecks is complex, since they both influence and are influenced by surrounding traffic. In this study, we propose a fast numerical scheme that can efficiently compute the solutions to an arbitrary number of moving (and fixed) bottlenecks, for a stretch of road modeled by the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards (LWR) model. Several different moving bottlenecks can be simulated endogenously all together by means of an algorithm based on a semi-analytic Lax–Hopf formula. Since the numerical scheme is semi-analytic and requires a very low number of operations, it can be employed for traffic estimation problems where fast and accurate solutions are required. We demonstrate the capabilities of the method by implementing two alternative traffic management strategies designed to minimize the negative impacts of trucks and buses in urban environments.

Keywords: Moving bottlenecks; LWR model; Semi-analytic algorithm; Urban freight traffic; Freight traffic management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2017.06.010

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