A RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR COMPARISON OF TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUES

Abstract

AN INCREMENTAL TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN INCORPORATED INTO A MORE GENERAL TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT COMPUTER PROGRAM, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR THE COMPARISON OF SEVERAL CURRENT TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES. THE MORE GENERAL TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT PROGRAM IS TERMED A RESEARCH TOOL AS IT IS TO BE USED IN A PROJECT TO DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BOTH PROPOSED AND EXISTING TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUES AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE SUITABLE FOR IMMEDIATE USE BY OPERATIONAL GROUPS FOR PURPOSE SUCH AS LARGE-SCALE TRANSPORTATION STUDIES. THE RESEARCH PROGRAM IS VERY FLEXIBLE AND MAY BE USED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. THE MORE GENERAL RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT PROGRAM DESCRIBED INCLUDES THE INCREMENTAL TECHNIQUE AS A SPECIAL CASE. THIS TECHNIQUE ASSIGNS VEHICLES IN SMALL INCREMENTS OF THE POTENTIAL VOLUME, AND USES VOLUME-DELAY CHARACTERISTICS TO UPDATE THE TRAVEL TIMES OF THE LINKS. THIS TECHNIQUE MAY ASSIGN VEHICLES IN SUCH A WAY AS TO FULFILL CONDITIONS OF NETWORK EQUILIBRIUM WITH TRAVEL TIMES APPROXIMATELY THE SAME OVER ALL REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE PATHS BETWEEN ANY ORIGIN AND DESTINATION. THE PAPER DISCUSSES THE DIFFICULTIES INHERENT IN THE COMPARISON OF TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUES AND SUGGESTS SOME STATISTICS OF PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AS A BASIS FOR THE COMPARISON OF ONE ASSIGNMENT TECHNIQUE WITH ANOTHER.

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