Hypercongestion

Kenneth Small () and Xuehao Chu

University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers from University of California Transportation Center

Abstract: The standard economic model for analyzing traffic congestion, due to A.A. Walters, incorporates a relationship between speed and traffic flow. Empirical measurements indicate a region, known as hypercongestion, in which speed increases with flow. We argue that this relationship is unsuitable as a supply curve for equilibrium analysis because hypercongestion occurs as a response to transient demand fluctuations. We then present tractable models for handling such fluctuations, both for a uniform expressway and for a dense street network such as in a central business district (CBD). For the CBD model, we consider both exogenous and endogenous time patterns for demand, and we make use of an empirical speed-density relationship for Dallas, Texas to characterize both congested and hypercongested conditions.

Keywords: congestion; hypercongestion; externalities; peakload pricing; dynamic analysis; speed-flow curves; Social and Behavioral Sciences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000-12-13
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Related works:
Journal Article: Hypercongestion (2003)
Working Paper: Hypercongestion (1997)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cdl:uctcwp:qt3nn3733q

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