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Title: Analytical Method to Approximate the Impact of Turning on the Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram
Network macroscopic fundamental diagrams (MFDs) have recently been shown to exist in real-world urban traffic networks. The existence of an MFD facilitates the modeling of urban traffic network dynamics at a regional level, which can be used to identify and refine large-scale network-wide control strategies. To be useful, MFD-based modeling frameworks require an estimate of the functional form of a network’s MFD. Analytical methods have been proposed to estimate a network’s MFD by abstracting the network as a single ring-road or corridor and modeling the flow–density relationship on that simplified element. However, these existing methods cannot account for the impact of turning traffic, as only a single corridor is considered. This paper proposes a method to estimate a network’s MFD when vehicles are allowed to turn into or out of a corridor. A two-ring abstraction is first used to analyze how turning will affect vehicle travel in a more general network, and then the model is further approximated using a single ring-road or corridor. This approximation is useful as it facilitates the application of existing variational theory-based methods (the stochastic method of cuts) to estimate the flow–density relationship on the corridor, while accounting for the stochastic nature of turning. Results of the approximation compared with a more realistic simulation that includes features that cannot be captured using variational theory—such as internal origins and destinations—suggest that this approximation works to estimate a network’s MFD when turning traffic is present.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1749200
NSF-PAR ID:
10219838
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume:
2674
Issue:
9
ISSN:
0361-1981
Page Range / eLocation ID:
933 to 947
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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