EECS 509 / IOE 517 - Course Syllabus, Winter 1997

Course Topics:

1. Introduction: transportation networks, traffic flow, travel demand, traffic assignment, route guidance, traffic signal control, Intelligent Transportation Systems.
   [1 class]
   • Gazis: 4.I.
   • Potts and Oliver: Chapter I.
   • Sheffi: Chapter 1.
   • Papageorgiou: Introduction of encyclopedia; Transportation Systems: Trends.
   
   
2. Fundamentals of Traffic Flow
   1. Link flow theory: modeling of traffic flow on an individual link.
      Fundamentals of traffic flow: variables of interest, basic flow-speed-density relationship ("fundamental equation"), models of traffic flow (e.g., Greenshields, Greenberg, May).
      Introduction to microscopic car-following models: linear car-following models, asymptotic and local stability, steady-state behavior, nonlinear car-following models, steady-state behavior.
      Introduction to macroscopic fluid-flow models: continuity equation, recovering Greenberg's model, propagation of disturbances (density waves), shock waves.
   2. Traffic analysis at intersections.
      Case of signalized intersections: deterministic arrivals, stochastic (Poisson) arrivals, approximate analysis (based on M/D/1 queues) of Webster and Allsop and corresponding empirical formulas for delay.
      Case of unsignalized intersections: analysis based on gap acceptance and M/G/1 queues.
      Case of vehicle-actuated intersections.
      Platoons and platoon dispersion models.
   3. Impedance functions used as link/link+node performance functions in network optimization: Bureau of Public Roads function, Davidson's function.
   [10 classes]
   • Gazis: Parts of Chapters 1 and 2.
   • Potts and Oliver: n/a.
   • Sheffi: 13.1.
   • Papageorgiou: Road Traffic: An Introduction; Flow Variables; Kinematic Wave Theory; Car-Following Models; Queueing Theory Applications.
   
   
3. Traffic Signal Control
   1. Fixed-cycle signal timing plans at individual intersections: case of deterministic arrivals, case of stochastic (Poisson) arrivals, allocation of "free time" and equisaturation "rule", Webster's rule for cycle length.
   2. Fixed-cycle signal timing plans and progression method: case of one-way arterial, case of (symmetric) two-way arterial, left and right interferences, algorithm of Brooks, network optimization with fixed-cycle plans, TRANSYT.
   3. Demand-responsive signal control of individual intersections: method of rolling-horizon, optimization for one horizon, decision tree and tree pruning, introduction to shortest-path algorithms in decision networks (Dijkstra's algorithm and A*).
   4. Demand-responsive signal control of a network of intersections: general approach ("group-based" control), heuristic approaches (e.g., SCOOT, SCATS, ALLONS-I).
   [9 classes]
   • Gazis: Parts of Chapter 3.
   • Potts and Oliver: Chapter 14.
   • Sheffi: 5.3.
   • Papageorgiou: Road Traffic Control: Progression Methods; Road Traffic Control: Demand-Responsive; Road Traffic Control: TRANSYT and SCOOT; Road Network Control; Traffic Control Systems: Trends; Shortest Path Algorithms.
   
   
4. Route Guidance and Traffic Assignment in Networks
   1. Introduction to route guidance and traffic assignment, user equilibrium and system optimality.
   2. Route guidance: static case, turn penalties, dynamic case, consistency condition and shortest-path algorithm.
   3. The static traffic assignment problem.
      Viewpoint of traffic assignment.
      Building the problem formulation: link-flow and path-flow formulations, multiple origin-destination pairs, cost model and link performance functions, criteria of optimality and Wardrop's principles.
      Special cases of the static traffic assignment problem.
      General static traffic assignment problem: necessary and sufficient conditions for user equilibrium and system optimality, marginal costs, transformation technique for solving for user equilibrium, Braess's paradox.
   [7 classes]
   • Gazis: Parts of 4.II.
   • Potts and Oliver: Chapters II and III.
   • Sheffi: Chapter 3, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2.
   • Papageorgiou: Traffic Assignment; Traffic Management Systems; Signal Control and Traffic Assignment.
   
   
5. Traffic Data Generation: introduction to origin-destination travel demand estimation.
   [if time permits]
   • Gazis: First part of 4.II.
   • Potts and Oliver: Parts of Chapter IV.
   • Sheffi: 13.2, 13.3.
   • Papageorgiou: n/a.

Recall that the four books mentioned above are:

• Traffic Science, by Denos C. Gazis, Editor, Wiley, 1974.
• Concise Encyclopedia of Traffic and Transportation Systems, by Markos Papageorgiou, Editor, Pergamon Press, 1991.
• Flows in Transportation Networks, by Renfrey B. Potts and Robert M. Oliver, Academic Press, 1972.
• Urban Transportation Networks, by Yosef Sheffi, Prentice-Hall, 1985.

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