A composite resilience index for road transport networks

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the development of a composite index for the resilience of road transport networks under disruptive events. The index employs three resilience characteristics, namely redundancy, vulnerability and mobility. Two different approaches, namely, equal weighting and principal component analysis, are adopted to conduct the aggregation. In addition, the impact of the availability of real-time travel information for travellers on the three resilience characteristics and the composite resilience index is described. The application of the index on a synthetic road transport network of Delft city (Netherlands) shows that it responds well to traffic load changes and supply variations. The composite resilience index could be of use in various ways, including supporting decision makers in understanding the dynamic nature of resilience under different disruptive events, highlighting weaknesses in the network and assisting in future planning to mitigate the impacts of disruptive events.