Dynamic traffic assignment: Considerations on some deterministic modelling approaches

Research on how to model the dynamic behaviour of traffic flows efficiently and the development of algorithms to handle such models numerically has become a key activity in recent years as a consequence of the emerging applications of advanced technologies to transport. This paper offers a critical review of some of the most relevant formulations of the dynamic assignment problem and algorithms arising from both discrete and continuous models, emphasizing the underlying modelling hypothesis. Comments are made on the crucial underlying discussion on the basic implicit or explicit hypothesis and extensions to Wardrop’s principle and the corresponding equilibrium concept. Properties and shortcomings are described and commented on and in some cases illustrated with simple examples. The paper ends with a description of a recent continuous modelling proposal that seems to overcome one of the reported major shortcomings: the FIFO discipline observance of traffic flows. A set of concluding remarks and a comprehensive bibliography close the paper.