THE VITALITY OF TRAFFIC DIRECTIONS IN ROAD NETWORKS WITH RECURRENT CONGESTION AND ITS EFFECT ON ROAD TRAFFIC DESIGN

In a case study about congestion in Budapest it is presented that in case of excessive congestion in the main direction of traffic flow, traffic from minor directions can still very easily access the overcrowded main direction. This phenomenon was named the vitality of the minor directions. Our study focuses on the vitality of these traffic directions, its changes during congestion, and its applicability in traffic design. The vitality of traffic directions was defined. The aggregated vitality of the minor directions and the speed of the main direction were found to be closely linked. The concept of vitality quantifies the change of traffic routing, including its network effects under congested and normal traffic conditions, on road networks with recurrent congestions. The methodology for designing a congestion-related road network provides a design method that can play a key role in effective urban traffic control strategies at both a strategic and a tactical level.