Development of a dynamic traffic simulation model in a near system optimal route guidance system

This paper presents the development of a Dynamic Traffic Simulation model as the heart of a comprehensive Route Guidance System (RGS) with behavioral and information supply components. An event-based dynamic traffic simulation model was built to account for the dynamics of traffic flow. The complex and changing state of traffic under both recurring and incident-related congestion(s) have been captured by analyzing traffic in multiple time periods. It also has the capability to predict traffic in advance for both the RGS-equipped and unequipped vehicles. The model developed in this research was validated on two networks. The first was a hypothetical network consisting of nine nodes and eleven links, and the second was a real-life network from southwestern Maryland that consists of 44 nodes and 132 links. A comparative analysis of the measures of effectiveness, such as total travel time, total vehicle miles of travel (VMT), travel time per VMT, average speed, fuel consumption, and environmental emissions, revealed that the performance of the developed RGS is significantly better than the performance under existing non-RGS conditions. Several conclusions were drawn from this research. It was shown that under congestion conditions, the RGS with an appropriate mix of information supply strategies can be considered as a surrogate for capacity enhancement. A more realistic representation of the traffic system, including traffic flow and network attributes, has also been captured in the framework for RGS. Moreover, the modular construction of the program wherein different modules can be integrated or removed fairly easily allows the developer to reconfigure the program to perform specific functions or achieve certain performance characteristics. The RGS developed in this project can be used in conjunction with improving freight operations, network evaluation, transit information systems, emergency response vehicles and logistics operations.