This project built a prototype of an advanced traveler information system hose objective is to reduce system cost with recurrent network congestion through provision of route guidance to travelers. The design of route guidance system faces a well-known dilemma. The approach that theoretically yields the system-optimal traffic pattern may discriminate against some users in favor of others.
We proposed a novel mathematical programming model to resolve this dilemma. The route choice behavior is modeled as a convex minimization problem and an efficient column generation algorithm is used to solve this mixed behavior equilibrium problem.
The essence of this study is that system-optimal routing of traffic flow with explicit integration of user constraints leads to a better performance than stochastic user equilibrium, while simultaneously guaranteeing superior fairness compared to the pure system optimum.
This research is part of my undergraduate thesis in Chinese, 信息环境下的混合网络均衡模型.