Traffic control scheme for social optimum traffic assignment with dynamic route pricing for automated vehicles

Abstract

In transportation modeling, after defining a road network and its origin-destination (OD) matrix, the next important question is how to assign traffic among OD-pairs. Nowadays, advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) make it possible to realize the user equilibrium solution. Simultaneously, with the advent of the Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), it is possible to solve the traffic assignment problem in a system optimum way. As a potential traffic assignment method in the future transportation system for automated cars, the deterministic system optimum (DSO) is modeled and simulated to investigate the potential changes it may bring to the existing traditional traffic system. In this paper, stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) is used to simulate the conventional traffic assignment method. This work concluded that DSO has considerable advantages in reducing trip duration, time loss, waiting time, and departure delay under the same travel demand. What is more, the SUE traffic assignment has a more dispersed vehicle density distribution. Moreover, DSO traffic assignment helps the maximum vehicle density of each alternative path arrive almost simultaneously. Furthermore, DSO can significantly reduce or avoid the occurrence of excessive congestion.