Multi-criteria user equilibrium model considering travel time, travel time reliability and distance

Abstract

This paper proposes a multi-criteria user equilibrium model considering travel time, travel time reliability and distance (MUE-TRD). This new model hypothesizes that for each user class and each origin-destination (O-D) pair no traveler can reduce either his or her reliable travel time or travel distance or both without worsening the other objective by unilaterally changing routes in their route choice decision process. Travel time budget which consists of travel time and travel time reliability is used to describe the reliable travel time. A maximum entropy multi-criteria user equilibrium (ME-MUE) model is presented to address the non-uniqueness of the solution in MUE-TRD model. Furthermore, a route-based solution algorithm based on the partial linearization descent method (R-PLD) is developed to solve the ME-MUE model. Numerical examples are also provided to illustrate the essential ideas of the proposed model and the applicability of the developed solution algorithm. The results show that compared to traditional user equilibrium and travel time budget models, ME-MUE model is more consistent with the real trip process that the reliable travel time is increasing with the decreasing of travel distance in used routes; and the road traffic is smoother when using ME-MUE model to design the road network, thus ME-MUE model can reduce road traffic noise and air pollution in the urban road network.