Pilot study of computer-based urban traffic management

The objectives of urban traffic management are to make more efficient use of existing transportation resources and provide for the movement of people in an efficient manner through the development of low-cost short-range management strategies. Implementation of such strategies can provide for reduced travel costs, savings of energy, reduced air pollution, and improved safety and convenience for the users of the facilities. It can also help to reduce necessary capital expenditure for new facilities to accommodate urban travel demands in the longer range. This paper presents a modelling framework for multimodal urban traffic management, explicitly modelling the divergent objectives of traffic managers and trip-makers. Facilities analyzed are arterial streets and freeways with their associated access and egress links. Modes considered are private automobiles, carpools, trucks, and buses. Decision parameters may include signal controls, ramp metering rates, priority lane assignments, variable-message signs, etc. Effects of modal performance on mode choice are also included in the analysis. Computational results are reported of a pilot application of the framework using heuristic solution techniques.