Qianni Wang , Liyang Feng , Jiayang Li , Jun Xie , Yu (Marco) Nie
{"title":"Entropy maximization in multi-class traffic assignment","authors":"Qianni Wang , Liyang Feng , Jiayang Li , Jun Xie , Yu (Marco) Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Entropy maximization is a standard approach to consistently selecting a unique class-specific solution for multi-class traffic assignment. Here, we show the conventional maximum entropy formulation fails to strictly observe the multi-class bi-criteria user equilibrium condition, because a class-specific solution matching the total equilibrium link flow may violate the equilibrium condition. We propose to fix the problem by requiring the class-specific solution, in addition to matching the total equilibrium link flow, also match the objective function value at the equilibrium. This leads to a new formulation that is solved using an exact algorithm based on dualizing the hard, equilibrium-related constraints. Our numerical experiments highlight the superior stability of the maximum entropy solution, in that it is affected by a perturbation in inputs much less than an untreated benchmark multi-class assignment solution. In addition to instability, the benchmark solution also exhibits varying degrees of arbitrariness, potentially rendering it unsuitable for assessing distributional effects across different groups, a capability crucial in applications concerning vertical equity and environmental justice. The proposed formulation and algorithm offer a practical remedy for these shortcomings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103136"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142816581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samson Ting , Thomas Lymburn , Thomas Stemler , Yuchao Sun , Michael Small
{"title":"Estimating gap acceptance parameters with a Bayesian approach","authors":"Samson Ting , Thomas Lymburn , Thomas Stemler , Yuchao Sun , Michael Small","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The gap acceptance framework is the theoretical basis for modelling traffic flow at intersections with a priority control. Reliable estimation methods for key gap acceptance parameters are important to more accurately predict key traffic performance measures such as capacity and delay. A notable challenge is that the critical gaps are not directly observable. Currently, the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) is widely accepted as the most reliable method. In this research, we considered a Bayesian approach as an alternative framework for estimating gap acceptance parameters, which achieves a comparable performance to the MLE. We first formalised the gap acceptance statistical model and the estimand of interest, based on a Bayesian hierarchical formulation that naturally captures the variations between drivers. We then tested the performance of each method on simulated dataset, with the Bayesian posterior obtained through the No-U-Turn sampler, an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. We showed that the MLE and the posterior mean as a point summary of the full posterior distribution have comparable performance, and both generally achieve a mean absolute error <span><math><mrow><mo>≤</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>2</mn></mrow></math></span> s for different major stream flow <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>q</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> in our experiment setup. In addition, we found that the standard error is higher for both low and high <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>q</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> so any point estimator is unlikely to be equally reliable across all level of <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>q</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>’s. Furthermore, we also identified a potential issue when assuming consistent drivers and log-normally distributed critical gaps at high <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>q</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>p</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, as the heavy tail of the log-normal can result in unrealistic dataset. The full Bayesian approach also allows inherent uncertainty quantification, which we found to be well-calibrated, in the sense that the credible intervals obtained have roughly the correct frequentist coverage as per confidence intervals constructed with frequentist methods. From a traffic engineering point of view, quantifying uncertainties in gap acceptance parameters, whether using Bayesian or frequentist methods, is important as they induce uncertainties on intersection performance metrics such as capacity and delay, which will allow more informed decision-making for infrastructure investment. In addition, we also assessed the performance of Bayesian methods for more complicated statistical models, using a test scenario involving inconsistent driver behaviour, by jointly estimating the gap acceptance parameters and the inconsistency parameters. Lastly, we demonstrated the applicability of the proposed Bayesian framework to real data collect","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103157"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143072519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lookahead scenario relaxation for dynamic time window assignment in service routing","authors":"Rosario Paradiso , Roberto Roberti , Marlin Ulmer","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We consider a problem where customers dynamically request next-day home service, e.g., repair or installments. Unlike attended home delivery, customers cannot select a time window (TW), the service provider assigns a next-day TW to each new customer if the customer can feasibly be inserted in the service route of the next day without violating the TWs of the existing customers. Otherwise, customer service will be postponed to another day (which is outside the scope of this work). The provider aims to serve many customers the next day for fast service and efficient operations. Thus, TWs have to be assigned to keep the flexibility of the fleet for future requests. For such anticipatory assignments, we propose a stochastic lookahead method that samples a set of future request scenarios, solves the corresponding team-orienteering problems with TWs, and uses the solutions to evaluate current TW assignment decisions. For real-time solutions to the team orienteering problem, we propose to approximate its optimal solution value with an upper bound. The bound is obtained by solving the linear relaxation of a set packing reformulation via column generation. We test our algorithm on Iowa City data and compare it to several benchmark policies. The results show that our method significantly increases customer service, and our relaxation is essential for effective decisions. We further show that our policy does not lead to observable discrimination against inconveniently located customers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103137"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142816579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unveiling network capacity potential with imminent supply information part II: Backpressure-based validation","authors":"Dianchao Lin , Li Li","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The capacity region (CR) is a key index to characterize a dynamic processing system’s ability to handle incoming demands. It is a multidimensional space when the system has multiple origin–destination pairs where their service rates interact. An urban traffic network is such a system. Traffic congestion appears when its demand approaches or exceeds the upper frontier of its CR. Part I of this study theoretically proved that (1) accurate I-SFR information of additional conflicting movements can enlarge the CR, and (2) improving the I-SFR prediction accuracy of observed movements can expand the CR. However, such expansion has not been validated through experiments. Part II of this study thus focuses on validating the theoretical findings in Part I. We use a real-time traffic control policy, named BackPressure (BP) control, to act as a ruler to measure the size of CR. We first prove that BP policy with partial I-SFR information can stabilize the network within the corresponding CR. Then we design various calibrated simulation experiments to check the validity of the two findings in Part I. Specifically, we use reserve demand, which represents the distance between a given demand and the frontier of CR, as a direct index to reflect the size of CR, and use delay as an indirect index to reflect the changes in CR. Simulation results confirm the theories in Part I.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103153"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143072643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shiyuan Zheng , Anming Zhang , Kun Wang , Xiaowen Fu
{"title":"Airport city and downtown store competition and regulation under incomplete information","authors":"Shiyuan Zheng , Anming Zhang , Kun Wang , Xiaowen Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many airports have evolved into \"airport cities\" by expanding their business ventures beyond traditional goods and services to include hotels, convention centers, and shopping complexes. These airport cities, often referred to as airport malls, now directly compete with downtown stores due to their increasingly similar range of products and services. Both air passengers and local residents can choose to shop at either the airport mall or downtown stores. We model the government's optimal regulation of airport cities under potentially incomplete information regarding their true operational costs and service quality. Our analytical results suggest that airports can earn \"information rent\" in the form of higher profits when the government lacks complete information about the operational cost of airport mall. This incomplete information results in distortions in airport aeronautical charge and airport mall shopping price. Our findings indicate that it is more socially efficient for the government to allow airports to earn an \"information rent\" through higher aeronautical profits, with the direction of airport price distortion depending on the price elasticity of air travel demand. In contrast, the government's incomplete information about airport mall service quality does not lead to distortions compared to the complete information scenario. We also examined outcomes under different airport city regulation regimes: regulation by the central government (centralization), local government (localization), and both governments (dual regulation). Dual regulation results in the most significant airport pricing distortion, benefiting airports with the highest information rent. However, this approach still yields greater social welfare than localization. Consequently, the central government always has an incentive to intervene in airport city regulation. Nevertheless, our numerical simulations indicate that central government regulation under incomplete information could result in worse social welfare outcomes than no regulation at all.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103131"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142788857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Real-time policy for yard allocation of transshipment containers in a terminal","authors":"Abdo Abouelrous , Rommert Dekker , Laurens Bliek , Yingqian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, we investigate the problem of allocating storage space in a container terminal’s yard to transshipment containers. The main decision here concerns the block to which a container is assigned for storage until it is loaded later by another vessel. We propose a setting where some target performance measures are imposed on the discharge operations. In turn, the allocation decisions are made so as to reduce driving time from the storage blocks to the berth locations of the vessels that will pick up the containers. The trick here is to find an appropriate trade-off between the times spent on discharge and loading so that neither are delayed significantly. Using results from renewal theory, queuing theory and machine learning, we are able to quantify the effect of our allocation decisions on quay crane productivity. Thereafter, we formulate a mathematical optimization problem for the yard-allocation of containers and apply a meta-heuristic to solve it. Our method was developed for deployment by a software consultancy company for container terminals. We test our method using a real-time simulation and compare it with a benchmark from the literature. We show that our method generates reductions in vessel berth times and provide an overview on its economic impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103138"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142989516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kenan Zhang , Javier Alonso-Mora , Andres Fielbaum
{"title":"What do walking and e-hailing bring to scale economies in on-demand mobility?","authors":"Kenan Zhang , Javier Alonso-Mora , Andres Fielbaum","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the impact of walking and e-hailing on the scale economies of on-demand mobility services. An analytical framework is developed to i) explicitly characterize the physical interactions between passengers and vehicles in the matching and pickup processes, and ii) derive the closed-form degree of scale economies (DSE) to quantify scale economies. The general model is then specified for conventional street-hailing and e-hailing, with and without walking before pickup and after dropoff. We show that, under a system-optimum fleet size, the market always exhibits economies of scale regardless of the matching mechanism and the walking behaviors, though the scale effect diminishes as passenger demand increases. Yet, street-hailing and e-hailing show different scale economies in their matching process. While street-hailing matching shows a constant DSE of two, e-hailing matching is more sensitive to demand and its DSE diminishes to one when passenger competition emerges. Walking, on the other hand, has mixed effects on the scale economies: while the reduced pickup and in-vehicle times bring a positive scale effect, the extra walking time and possible concentration of vacant vehicles and waiting passengers on streets negatively affect scale economies. All these analytical results are validated through agent-based simulations on Manhattan with real-life demand patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103156"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143072638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuocheng Guo , Iman Dayarian , Jian Li , Xinwu Qian
{"title":"Solving the equity-aware dial-a-ride problem using an exact branch-cut-and-price algorithm","authors":"Shuocheng Guo , Iman Dayarian , Jian Li , Xinwu Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper proposes a Branch-Cut-and-Price (BCP) algorithm to solve an equitable variant of the Dial-a-Ride problem (DARP), namely Equity-Aware DARP (EDARP), a bi-objective optimization problem that simultaneously minimizes the total routing cost and maximizes the Equity-of-Travel (EoT) outcomes for individual passengers. For passengers, EoT is specified as their detour rate, measured by the ratio between total in-vehicle time and door-to-door direct trip time. The EoT objective of EDARP is to minimize the maximum detour rate among all passengers while satisfying the DARP constraints. We model the EDARP using a min–max trip-based formulation, which is solved exactly using a tailored BCP algorithm. The BCP algorithm adopts the Column Generation method by decomposing the problem into a master problem and a subproblem. The subproblem is an Elementary Shortest Path Problem with Resource Constraints and Min–Max EoT (ESPPRC-MME), which is NP-hard. To efficiently solve the ESPPRC-MME, we develop a minimal-ride-time calibration algorithm and establish families of resource extension functions in compliance with equity-related resources. We also extend the applicability of EDARP to the operation of the dial-a-ride service during the pandemic aiming to minimize the maximum exposure risk of individual travelers. The effectiveness of our models and algorithms are comprehensively evaluated using both classic DARP instances as well as EDARP instances generated from real-world paratransit trip datasets. Computational results show that our BCP algorithm can optimally solve 50 out of 54 real-world instances (up to 55 passengers and 13 vehicles covering 110 nodes) within a time limit of one hour. Important practical insights are also discussed by investigating the Pareto front and the Lorenz curves for trip inequity based on the optimal outcomes of real-world instances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103149"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142887900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Equilibrium horizontal queues and a paradox of tolling","authors":"Lewis J. Lehe, Ayush Pandey","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2025.103152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper shows that, in a static traffic model with elastic demand, increasing a toll may raise the equilibrium trip rate through a network. The result is obtained in models with horizontal queues and rules about merges and diverges assumed in the Cell Transmission Model for Network Traffic. The paper looks at three networks: (i) a road with a fixed bottleneck at the end; (ii) a road with a “triggerneck” diverge; and (iii) a ring road with two on-ramps and two off-ramps. In the triggerneck network, a toll increase may raise the total trip rate when traffic using an exit with bottleneck has a lower value of travel time savings than traffic bypassing the bottleneck. In the ring road, a toll increase may raise the total trip rate when the initial equilibrium is hypercongested. The derivations use an extensible “recipe” for analysis of networks with horizontal queues. Many diagrams and numerical examples are provided to illustrate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103152"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143027374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amir Ahmadian , Sina Bahrami , Mehdi Nourinejad , Yafeng Yin
{"title":"Investment and financing of roadway digital infrastructure for automated driving","authors":"Amir Ahmadian , Sina Bahrami , Mehdi Nourinejad , Yafeng Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trb.2024.103146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Connected automated vehicles (CAVs) are equipped with sensors, enabling them to scan and analyze their surrounding environment. This capability empowers CAVs to make informed and efficient decisions regarding their motion; however, the limited spatial range and resolution of these sensors present challenges for achieving full autonomy. Cooperative sensing through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications offers an alternative approach to enrich CAVs’ environmental understanding. This study explores the optimal investment policy for vehicular connectivity and road-side sensor deployment under varying traffic flow conditions. It also extends the self-financing theorem to the sensor equipped roads and investigates whether an optimal toll can cover both the construction costs and the costs of equipping roads with sensing components. The stylized model of CAV mobility considers the interplay between stationary sensors installed road-side as a part of the infrastructure and mobile sensors of CAVs. Results indicate that under constrained budgets and low traffic flow, investing in infrastructure improvement is preferred. However, as traffic flow increases, prioritizing connectivity and data sharing among CAVs becomes more lucrative. Notably, in high traffic flow, a shift back to investing in stationary sensors may occur, depending on system settings. The findings provide insights into budget allocation to enhance CAV performance, advancing the development of efficient and safe automated driving systems. The analyses on the self-financing theorem also show that the optimal user tolls do not cover the cost of constructing digital infrastructure. However, if social planners consider the safety benefits of sensor equipped roads, the construction of digital infrastructure can be covered by the optimal user tolls. In addition, the revenue from optimal user tolls can cover the cost of equipping existing roads with sensors if their flow-capacity ratio is greater than a certain threshold.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54418,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Research Part B-Methodological","volume":"192 ","pages":"Article 103146"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142918064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}