System Optimum Traffic Assignment for Connected Cars

Traffic jams are a serious issue in urban life. Conventional car navigation systems are based on user equilibrium (UE) traffic assignment, in which a driver always chooses the best route. System optimal (SO) traffic assignment is better than UE traffic assignment. However, it is difficult to realize SO because of a lack of complete traffic information. In the near future, almost all cars will be connected to the cloud. This means that complete traffic information can be collected by connected cars. In this paper, we describe an SO-based navigation method. In our method, the cloud detects SO traffic assignment using collected traffic information. We also evaluate the proposed method for several cases.

I. Introduction

Roads are an important social infrastructure. Traffic jams have a major impact on the environment. Loss of energy is increasing. Greater emissions of greenhouse gases are increasing, which will have a serious impact on the environment. Automobile companies are moving to manufacturing electric vehicles. Logistics is delayed. The delivery cost is increasing. In an aging society like Japan, online shops and home delivery sustain the lives of elderly people. As commuting time increases, leisure time reduces, which results in increased stress. Road congestion in cities in developing countries is even more serious. Chronic congestion is occurring.