Beyond the Braess Paradox: Which Links Contribute Most to Changes in Equilibrium Delays within Transportation Networks?

BSE Networks Module Term Paper

Uncoordinated drivers on a transportation network seeking to minimise their personal traffic time rarely achieve the socially optimal traffic flow and associated costs. The Nash equilibrium traffic flow generates a cost that is almost always higher. The Braess Paradox demonstrates that in some cases, it is possible to reduce total traffic time by blocking a certain road. Here we simulate equilibria on real traffic networks in an attempt to identify characteristics of links that add or subtract to total traffic time when closed. We study two road networks, Sioux Falls and Eastern Massachusetts to identify possible instance of the Braess Paradox and relationships between network measures and changes in latency. We analyse the difficulties of this kind of simulation and suggest future directions for research