Traffic information sign location problem: Optimization and simulation

Abstract

© 2020 Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers. All rights reserved. Traffic congestion is a critical problem in many big cities when expansion of traffic systems is implemented to catch up with the increasing demand for road transportation. The policy to shift routes to avoid traffic congestion is one policy that can be supported by traffic information systems. A traffic information sign is one of the solutions that provide traffic information to drivers (users) for selecting routes. Infrastructure for physical signs needs investment, so the optimal number and location of signs should be appropriate for maximizing the effectiveness in reducing traffic congestion. Firstly, a mathematical model for the location of traffic signs was proposed in this study. Then optimal solutions were evaluated using simulation tests. Application of the proposed method is presented for solving the case study of Chiang Mai University's traffic network. The optimal solutions were to assign two signs on roads with high departure flows and high possibility to change directions. The simulation results present ranges of the probability for changing directions that can reduce the departure flows at the bottleneck gate. When the flows at the bottleneck gate were reduced, the traffic in this area was shown to be less congested. Moreover, utilizations of gates were more balanced.