A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO INTEGRATED URBAN NETWORK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

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Traffic congestion is one of the major sources of energy consumption and pollution in urban areas. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and travel demand management (TDM) are instrumental strategies in achieving sustainable solutions to urban traffic congestion problems. These two strategies can be jointly used to improve and sustain long-term transportation performance. However, little research has been conducted into the integration of the various ITS and TDM strategies, in order to achieve optimal traffic management. In addition, most of the published works do not take into consideration the dynamic nature of travel demand. The effect of the presence of variable demand may be significant and lead to critical bias in comparing various traffic strategies and schemes. This requires knowledge on how network travel demand in a city changes as a function of control, demand management strategies and level of congestion. The focus of this research program will be on integrating ITS and TDM strategies to seamlessly optimize the efficiency of transportation facilities and reduce emissions, while taking into consideration the variability of demand. The impact on changes in the short-term to medium-term variations in travel demand as reflected in shifts in route, departure time, mode and destination choice will be examined. The problem will be formulated as a bilevel multi-objective optimization problem to meet the objectives of demand management, mobility, safety and reductions in energy use. Further innovations will result from the inclusion of energy use optimization: this has not yet been attempted. Training of HQPs is a key component of this project, with the majority of the project funds (93%) used for this purpose. The HQPs will have the opportunity to obtain experience in advanced traffic flow modelling, travel demand modelling and simulation of advanced strategies. This proposal, which integrates various traffic control and demand management elements, will enhance mobility initiatives in large cities, provide economic benefits and help plan for long-term sustainable transportation systems that will delay the need for network expansion. Therefore, this research will directly and significantly contribute to the safety and welfare of Canadians by easing congestion, enhancing safety, reducing fuel consumption, promoting urban sustainability and training HQP.