Abstract:

In this paper, a variational inequality （VI） model is proposed to describe the network equilibrium be- haviors with multiple vehicle classes, multi-criteria and mixed strategies. The proposed model is then used to predict the flow distribution in a highway transport network under the condition of road tolling and traffic information system. In the proposed model, the users are classified according to the vehicle type and the route choice strategy that every individual user employs; the travel cost function parameters are set to reflect the differences in users with distinct vehicle types in terms of travel speed, travel cost and road toll, etc. ; the perceived travel cost functions are set to describe the variations of optimization object in route choice for users with different travel strategies; and the equilibrium condition for this specific situation is also determined. Moreover, the solution procedures for the VI model by means of an improved successive average algorithm are introduced. Numerical experiment results indicate that the proposed model well describes the roles of road tolling and traffic information system played in the network efficiency improvement, and further reveals some characteristics of the network equilibrium behaviors with mixed strategies.

Key words: traffic flow, mixed equilibrium, multi-type user, multi-criterion, variational inequality