Optimal Toll Design in Dynamic Traffic Networks Using a Pattern Search Approximation Algorithm

The design of an optimal road pricing scheme is not a trivial problem. Following the Dutch government's kilometer charge plans, this paper focuses on the optimization of link based toll levels differentiated in space and time. The optimal toll level design problem is formulated as a bi-level mathematical program. In the upper level we minimize an object function, e.g. the average travel time in the network, using a fixed number of price categories. At the lower level a dynamic traffic assignment model is used to determine the effects of differentiated road pricing schemes on the traffic system. Focus of the paper is on the upper-level where optimal toll levels are approximated. In the optimization procedure different variants of a pattern search algorithm are tested in a case study. Inspection of the solution space shows that many local minima exist, so the selection of the initial solution becomes important. In the case study however it appears that in all local minima the value of the objective function is almost the same, indicating the fact that many different toll schemes result in the same average travel time. The case study is also used to test the performance of the different variants of the pattern search algorithm. It appears that it is beneficial to change more variables at a time and to use a memory to remember where improvement of the objective function has been made.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Brands, Ties
  • Berkum, Eric van
  • van Amelsfort, Dirk Hendrik
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2009-1-11 to 2009-1-15
• Date: 2009

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 88th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Case studies; Dynamic traffic assignment; Optimization; Road pricing; Toll roads; Traffic flow; Travel surveys; Travel time
• Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic networks
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01128613
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 09-1243
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 19 2009 7:48AM