Objectives, stimulus and feedback in signal control of road traffic

This article identifies the prospective role of a range of intelligent transport systems technologies for the signal control of road traffic. We discuss signal control within the context of traffic management and control in urban road networks and then present a control-theoretic formulation for it that distinguishes the various roles of detector data, objectives of optimization, and control feedback. By reference to this, we discuss the importance of different kinds of variability in traffic flows and review the state of knowledge in respect of control in the presence of different combinations of them. In light of this formulation and review, we identify a range of important possibilities for contributions to traffic management and control through traffic measurement and detection technology, and contemporary flexible optimization techniques that use various kinds of automated learning

Pedestrian route choice: an empirical study

There has been relatively little work done on route choice for pedestrians. The present paper addresses this issue by using a sample survey of daily walks in a UK urban area. The walks undertaken are reconstructed using a geographical information system and compared with the shortest available route. It was found that about 75 per cent of walkers in the sample chose the shortest available route. Two strategies were used to synthesise sets from which pedestrians could have chosen their routes. These choice sets can then be used in discrete choice modelling to study route choice and to determine which factors are important to pedestrians in this. At the time of writing, it is proposed to proceed with this modelling. The structure of the paper is as follows. Section 2 describes the various sources of data used in this work, section 3 discusses the choice set generation strategies that were developed, section 4 briefly compares the walks with the corresponding shortest routes, while section 5 presents the conclusions that were drawn from this

Adaptive signal control using approximate dynamic programming

This paper presents a concise summary of a study on adaptive traffic signal controller for real time operation. The adaptive controller is designed to achieve three operational objectives: first, the controller adopts a dual control principle to achieve a balanced influence between immediate cost and long-term cost in operation; second, controller switches signals without referring to a preset plan and is acyclic; third, controller adjusts its parameters online to adapt new environment. Not all of these features are available in existing operational controllers. Although dynamic programming (DP) is the only exact solution for achieving the operational objectives, it is usually impractical for real time operation because of demand in computation and information. To circumvent the difficulties, we use approximate dynamic programming (ADP) in conjunction with online learning techniques. This approach can substantially reduce computational burden by replacing the exact value function of DP with a continuous linear approximation function, which is then updated progressively by online learning techniques. Two online learning techniques, which are reinforcement learning and monotonicity approximation respectively, are investigated. We find in computer simulation that the ADP controller leads to substantial savings in vehicle delays in comparison with optimised fixed-time plans. The implications of this study to traffic control are: the ADP controller meet all of the three operational objectives with competitive results, and can be readily implemented for operations at both isolated intersection and traffic networks; the ADP algorithm is computationally efficient, and the ADP controller is an evolving system that requires minimum human intervention; the ADP technique offers a flexible theoretical framework in which a range of functional forms and learning techniques can be further studied

Equilibrium analysis of trip chains in congested networks

In this paper, we develop a model of travel in a chain of trips joining several locations througha congested network. We develop a microscopic analysis of individual benefits obtained byspending time at each of the locations and costs incurred through travel between them. This iscombined with a macroscopic equilibrium model of travel during congested peak periods toshow how individuals? travel choices are influenced by the congestion that result fromcorresponding choices made by others. We show how different travellers can achieveidentical net utilities by making different combinations of choices within the equilibrium. Theresulting model can be used to investigate the effect on travel behaviour and individual utilityof various transport interventions, and we illustrate this by considering the effect of a peakperiodcharge that eliminates congestion

Bounding the efficiency of road pricing

This paper deals with the following question associated with congestion pricing in a general network with either fixed or elastic travel demand: what is the maximum efficiency loss of a general second-best pricing scheme due to inexact marginal-cost pricing in comparison with the first-best pricing or system optimum case? A formal answer to this question is provided by establishing an inefficiency bound associated with a given road pricing scheme. An application of the methods is provided for the practical trial-and-error implementation of marginal-cost pricing with unknown demand functions

Bilinear Coagulation Equations

We consider coagulation equations of Smoluchowski or Flory type where the total merge rate has a bilinear form $\pi(y)\cdot A\pi(x)$ for a vector of conserved quantities $\pi$, generalising the multiplicative kernel. For these kernels, a gelation transition occurs at a finite time $t_\mathrm{g}\in (0,\infty)$, which can be given exactly in terms of an eigenvalue problem in finite dimensions. We prove a hydrodynamic limit for a stochastic coagulant, including a corresponding phase transition for the largest particle, and exploit a coupling to random graphs to extend analysis of the limiting process beyond the gelation time.Comment: Generalises the previous version to focus on general coagulation processes of bilinear type, without restricting to the single example of the previous version. The previous results are mentioned as motivation, and all results of the previous version can be obtained from this more general versio

Adaptive traffic signal control using approximate dynamic programming

This paper presents a study on an adaptive traffic signal controller for real-time operation. The controller aims for three operational objectives: dynamic allocation of green time, automatic adjustment to control parameters, and fast revision of signal plans. The control algorithm is built on approximate dynamic programming (ADP). This approach substantially reduces computational burden by using an approximation to the value function of the dynamic programming and reinforcement learning to update the approximation. We investigate temporal-difference learning and perturbation learning as specific learning techniques for the ADP approach. We find in computer simulation that the ADP controllers achieve substantial reduction in vehicle delays in comparison with optimised fixed-time plans. Our results show that substantial benefits can be gained by increasing the frequency at which the signal plans are revised, which can be achieved conveniently using the ADP approach

Scoping study of the feasibility of developing a software tool to assist designers of pedestrian crossing places

This report is the outcome of a scoping study of how guidance can be provided for practising highway engineers in designing informal pedestrian crossing facilities. The main component of this report is an analysis by an IT consultant of a range of mechanisms for delivery of this. The study was informed by the opinions of a group of practitioners who have a direct interest in the provision of pedestrian facilities. These results are placed in context and their consequences are explored in the first part of the report

Discrete choice modelling incorporating attribute thresholds of perception

In this paper we formulate a discrete choice model that incorporates thresholds in the perception of attribute changes. The model considers multiple options and allows changes in several attributes. We postulate that if thresholds exist they could be random, differ between individuals, and even be a function of socio-economic characteristics and choice conditions. Our formulation allows estimation of the parameters of the threshold probability distribution starting from information about choices. The model is applied to synthetic data and also to real data from a stated preference survey. We found that where perception thresholds exist in the population, the use of models without them leads to errors in estimation and prediction. Clearly, the effect is more relevant when the typical size of change in the attribute value is comparable with the threshold, and when the contribution of this attribute in the utility function is substantial. Finally, we discuss the implications of the threshold model for estimation of the benefits of transport investments, and show that where thresholds exist, models that do not represent them can overestimate benefits substantially