Traffic control performance on networks depends on the flow response to the policy adopted, which in turn contributes to determine the optimal signal settings. This paper focuses on the relationship between local and network wide traffic control policies within the combined traffic control and assignment problem. Through a full exploration of the solution space, an in depth cross comparison is performed between the well-known local policies P0 and Equisaturation, versus the global policies Maximum Throughput and Minimum Delay, to verify how the two local policies approximate the optimal settings for signalized intersections. Realistic traffic dynamics, such as congestion, multiple controllers and spillback are considered, to empirically determine the conditions under which the local policies are able to approximate global performances. After presenting the different local and global control policies, experiments are performed on simple toy networks. The complexity of the underlying network and, therefore, of the problems' boundary conditions is then increased, allowing us to showcase how the different metrics perform in different situations. Finally, conclusions on the results are drawn.@en

Explicitly including the dynamics of users’ route choice behaviour in optimal traffic control applications has been of interest for researchers in the last five decades. This has been recognized as a very challenging problem, due to the added layer of complexity and the considerable non-convexity of the resulting problem, even when dealing with simple static assignment and analytical link cost functions. In this work we establish a direct behavioural connection between the different shapes and structures emerging in the solution space of such problems and the underlying route choice behaviour. We specifically investigate how changes in the active equilibrium route set exert direct influence on the solution space's structure and behaviour. Based on this result, we then formulate and validate a constrained version of the original problem, yielding desirable properties in terms of solution space regularity.@en

Anticipatory optimal network control can be defined as the practice of determining the set of control actions that minimizes a network-wide objective function, so that the consequences of this action are taken in consideration not only locally, on the propagation of flows, but globally, taking into account the user's routing behavior. Such an objective function is, in general, defined and optimized in a centralized setting, as knowledge regarding the whole network is needed in order to correctly compute it. This is a strong theoretical framework but, in practice, reaching a level of centralization sufficient to achieve said optimality is very challenging. Furthermore, even if centralization was possible, it would exhibit several shortcomings, with concerns such as computational speed (centralized optimization of a huge control set with a highly nonlinear objective function), reliability and communication overhead arising.The main aim of this work is to develop a decomposed heuristic descent algorithm that, demanding the different control entities to share the same information set, attains network-wide optimality through separate control actions.@en

Traffic Management and Logistic Optimization have been extensively studied as two separate classes of problems, for which numerous methodologies, mathematical models and algorithmic solutions were made available in literature. However, little attention has been devoted to the interactions between the variables involved in these problems and the consequences of the decision making processes carried independently by Traffic Managers and Logistic Players. We believe this to be of considerable importance, since partial or incomplete knowledge on one another's decisions might yield sub-optimality for either or both of them. In this work, we propose an integrated view on both classes of problems, providing mathematical formulations to support the assessment of the impact which the two players may have on each other.@en

Explicitly including the dynamics of users' route choice behaviour in optimal traffic control applications has been of interest for researchers in the last five decades. This has been recognized as a very challenging problem, due to the added layer of complexity and the considerable non-convexity of the resulting problem, even when dealing with simple static assignment and analytical link cost functions. In this work we establish a direct behavioural connection between the different shapes and structures emerging in the solution space of such problems and the underlying route choice behaviour. We specifically investigate how changes in the active equilibrium route set exert direct influence on the solution space's structure and behaviour. Based on this result, we then formulate and validate a constrained version of the original problem, yielding desirable properties in terms of solution space regularity.@en

Anticipatory optimal network control is defined as the problem of determining the set of control actions that minimizes a network-wide objective function. This not only takes into account local consequences on the propagation of flows, but also the global network-wide routing behavior of the users. Such an objective function is, in general, defined in a centralized setting, as knowledge regarding the whole network is needed to correctly compute it. Reaching a level of centralization sufficient to attain network-wide control objectives is however rarely realistic in practice. Multiple authorities are influencing different portions the network, separated either hierarchically or geographically. The distributed nature of networks and traffic directly influences the complexity of the anticipatory control problem. This is our motivation for this work, in which we introduce a decomposition mechanism for the global anticipatory network traffic control problem, based on dynamic clustering of traffic controllers. Rather than solving the full centralized problem, or blindly performing a full controller-wise decomposition, this technique allows recognizing when and which controllers should be grouped in clusters, and when, instead, these can be optimized separately. The practical relevance with respect to our motivation is that our approach allows identification of those network traffic conditions in which multiple actors need to actively coordinate their actions, or when unilateral action suffices for still approximating global optimality. This clustering procedure is based on well-known algebraic and statistical tools that exploit the network's sensitivity to control and its structure to deduce coupling behavior. We devise several case studies in order to assess our newly introduced procedure's performances, in comparison with fully decomposed and fully centralized anticipatory optimal network control, and show that our approach is able to outperform both centralized and decomposed procedures.@en

Developing traffic control strategies taking explicitly into account the route choice behavior of users has been widely recognized as a very challenging problem. Furthermore, the inclusion of user behavior in optimization based control schemes introduces strong irregularities in the solution space shape, such as non-convexity and non-smoothness. In this work, we propose an extended decomposition scheme for the anticipatory traffic control problem, based upon our previous contributions, which aims at i) reducing the computational complexity of the problem by approaching it in a controller-by-controller fashion, and ii) internalizing specific constraints in the objective function, guiding the optimization process away from non-significant minima, such as flat regions. Through two small scale test networks and different, randomly chosen initial points, we compare how the proposed extension influences optimization results with respect to our previously developed decomposed approach, as well as centralized schemes.@en

This paper addresses the modeling of traffic flows with intelligent cars and intelligent roads. It will describe the modeling approach MIXIC and review the results for different ADA systems: Adaptive Cruise Control, a special lane for Intelligent Vehicles, cooperative following and external speed assistance. In general there are clear indications for an improvement in traffic safety. It also shows that traffic efficiency impacts are limited and in specific conditions even negative. Given the increasing attention 10 more advanced driver assistance system, the paper proposes new research directions Assistance' and advanced modeling techniques toward 'integrated driver assistance'.@en

The problem of determining Ramp Metering control rates, taking into account routing response, is addressed in this paper. We develop Model Predictive Control based Anticipatory control schemes, featuring both centralized and decomposed optimization problems, with focus on real-life deployability. We then evaluate the aforementioned schemes' performances in comparison to simpler, non-anticipatory control techniques, by means of software simulation based on purpose-built experimental scenarios.@en