Traffic Flows and Management

This course aims to introduce students to concepts, theories and models in the field of transportation systems. The course balances a qualitative and quantitative aspects of transportation science, and modelling.

The base elements of transportation network supply are introduced, at different levels of aggregation (microscopic scale, macroscopic scale), with the related modelling principles. These different modelling scales are then associated to corresponding traffic flow phenomena, with consideration of the cause-effect chain arising between different aggregation levels. Multiple modes of transport are discussed through comparative analysis, considering what changes between different modes and what instead forms an underlying common ground. The course finally introduces aspects of transportation network design, discussing the relevance of objectives such as safety and emissions, the importance and practices related to data collection, and management techniques and how these address different objectives.

Course content:

• Traffic operations (roads, intersections, vehicle interactions, flow phenomena)

• Measuring traffic: traffic data, sensing equipment and fundamental quantities, relation between microscopic dynamics and macroscopic dynamics

• Microscopic traffic flow dynamics and models: car-following and lane changing

• Macroscopic traffic flow dynamics and models: KWT, base quantities, shockwave theory and speeds, shockwave examples.

• Comparative analysis of other modes: active modes (pedestrians, bikes), mixed traffic flows (bus, trucks) and emerging mobility

• Traffic externalities en impact assessment: traffic safety and emissions

• Reducing externalities, governance: traffic control, network management