Travel-Time Reliability in Dynamic Transportation Networks under User Equilibrium

Travel time reliability of a transportation network is usually examined from the system's perspective. However, an average driver, during conditions of uncertainties, tends to navigate through available routes between his/her origin-destination (O-D) pair to minimize his/her aggregate travel time. In this paper, we analyze travel time reliability of a transportation network under user equilibrium. We show the relationship between the traffic information and the travel time reliability of the network. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by performing a numerical analysis for a typical rush hour commuter in the Baltimore-Washington area. This analysis is important because it provides drivers with accurate route guidance information and also generates the shortest path (or less congested alternate paths) connecting specified origins and destinations. It is expected that this analysis will be useful in the planning, design and management of transportation facilities and networks in the future.