Capacity-Constrained Traffic Assignment in Networks with Residual Queues

Abstract

This paper proposes a capacity-constrained traffic assignment model for strategic transport planning in which the steady-state user equilibrium principle is extended for road networks with residual queues. Therefore, the road-exit capacity and the queuing effects can be incorporated into the strategic transport model for traffic forecasting. The proposed model is applicable to the congested network particularly when the traffic demands exceed the capacity of the network during the peak period. An efficient solution method is proposed for solving the steady-state traffic assignment problem with residual queues. Then a simple numerical example is employed to demonstrate the application of the proposed model and solution method, while an example of a medium-sized arterial highway network in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is used to test the applicability of the proposed solution to real problems.