Theories of Multimodal Urban Mobility

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research objective of this award is to explore how different vehicle classes, such as automobiles, buses and bicycles, interact on large, city-scale transport networks. This is necessary because previous research has been limited to small-scale systems, such as individual intersections, dominated by a single mode -- the automobile. The work will proceed on two parallel fronts. The first will identify the smallest basic component within a multimodal network for which the governing laws of traffic can be scaled-up to the larger, city-wide level. The second will study systematically the cross-modal vehicular interactions that arise on these basic components. The work will involve both theory and experiment. The latter is made possible thanks to agreements that have been reached with decision-makers in various cities, including several cities in the developing world where the need for efficient multi-modal travel alternatives is especially acute. Anticipated outcomes include analytical models that describe how different vehicle classes interact and coexist, and show how to improve network designs and control methods. The research will address the global climate crisis and the rising cost and growing scarcity of oil to help cities embrace greener, more sustainable modes of transport, including public transit, bicycles and walking. The findings will help engineers and planners devise strategies that improve mobility for all urban travelers regardless of the mode they use, and help policy-makers in their efforts to make the greener modes a more viable alternative to automobiles. The latter will benefit the planet; the former the local citizenry. It is expected that benefits will flow in particular to those in society who are least able to own and drive cars. The work will contribute to scientific education because it will support two doctoral dissertations, and its findings will be integrated into the curricula at U.C. Berkeley and perhaps elsewhere.