Optimized traffic emergency resource scheduling using time varying rescue route travel time

Abstract

Abstract Traffic emergency resource scheduling not only needs to satisfy the type and quantity of resources required for traffic incidents, but also to consider the change of traffic state before making the rescue decision. For this purpose, a traffic emergency resource scheduling method based on rescue route travel time estimation was proposed. Considering the vehicle queuing phenomenon in the rescue route caused by traffic incidents, the rescue route travel time was defined as the sum of free flow travel time and queuing delay time. The queuing section was shifted to the downstream of the section and making the free flow section and queue section regarded as two continuous sections. Then according to the relative relationship between the total length of rescue route and the queuing delay time of rescue vehicles, the rescue route travel time was estimated and the improved resource scheduling model was established. As shown by the emergency resource scheduling application in the expressway network of Henan province, the simulation results of rescue route travel time estimation and the scheduling model revealed that the queuing delay time directly affects the computation of the rescue travel time. In addition, using branch and bound algorithm to obtain the optimized emergency resource scheduling scheme, the proposed scheduling model could enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency resource allocation and improve the road traffic safety.