2008 International Workshop on Modelling, Simulation and Optimization

Effects of Variable Message Signs (VMS) for Improving Congestions

Shaokuan Chen, Mingjun Liu, Liping Gao, Chao Meng, Wei Li, Jinzi Zheng
(Integrated Transport Research Center of China, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing,
China, 100044)
chenshaokuan@jtys.bjtu.edu.cn

Abstract
Variable message signs (VMS) plays an important
role in route guidance of drivers and release of
traffic congestion. Response to VMS of drivers is
acquired in stated preference (SP) investigation.
Traffic demand is estimated and analyzed by Gravity
and route choice models. Effects of VMS on route
choice and traffic delay are simulated through
VISSIM software in the case study of Beijing.
characteristics (gender, age, etc.). Of them, the
familiarity of drivers to transportation networks
usually measured by driving age is most important.
Taxi drivers, private drivers and the drivers in
transportation corporations are surveyed. There are
totally 217 dispensed questionnaires and 153 of them
are availably returned.
2.1 Driving Age

1. Introduction The distribution of drivers by driving age, less

than 5 years, 5 to 10 years and more than 10 years, is
Advanced traveler information system (ATIS) can given in Table 1.
provide various dynamic information, such as traffic,
weather, for drivers to improve the conditions of Table 1 Distribution of drivers by driving age
travel. As an important approach, variable message Driving age < 5 years 5 - 10 years > 10 years
signs (VMS) has been widely employed in traffic
guidance and congestion improvement [1]. Actually, Proportion 15.7% 42.3% 42%
one of characteristics of traffic congestion presents
the distribution imbalance of traffic demand, that is, From Table 1, most of drivers have a driving age
some of roads are seriously crowded but others are more than 5 years. Only 15.7% of drivers have
scarcely occupied. Thus vehicle flow should be driving experience than 5 years. The distribution data
equally assigned to traffic networks in virtue of the shows that drivers are generally familiar with the
guidance of VMS. Furthermore, traffic congestion traffic networks.
will be evidently reduced. More than 300 pieces of
VMS will be developed on schedule in Beijing. 2.2 Data Analysis
Previous researches on VMS are mainly focused
on the settings of VMS [2], driver response [3, 4] and The survey of driver’s response to VMS is carried
route guidance [5]. Effects of VMS on route out under serious and common traffic congestions.
guidance and traffic flow are simulated and analyzed Serious and common congestion are defined as two
through Gravity & Logit models and VISSIM in this traffic state that vehicles are respectively moving
paper. below at 20km/h and within the range between
20km/h and 35km/h [6]. The detailed results are
separately listed in Table 2 and 3.
2. Driver Response
The response to VMS is much crucial for drivers Table 2 Survey data under serious congestion
to estimate which route is lower time-consumption Driving age < 5 years 5 - 10 years > 10 years
under current conditions of traffic flow. Whether
Keep routing 57.1% 78.4% 86.7%
drivers keep former routing or reroute depends on a
number of elements, such as their personal Rerouting 42.9% 21.6% 13.3%

978-0-7695-3484-8/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE 416

DOI 10.1109/WMSO.2008.12
 Table 3 Survey data under common congestion
Driving age < 5 years 5 - 10 years > 10 years
Keep routing 85.1% 93.2% 95.4%
Rerouting 14.1% 6.8% 4.6%
From Table 2 and 3, the proportion of rerouting
drivers is decreasing as the driving age of drivers
increase, but increasing with the deterioration of
traffic. The drivers who have longer driving age
obviously prefer their former route to rerouting.
21.45% of drivers reroute under serious congestion,
whereas only 7.02% of drivers change their current
route under common congestion.
3. Simulation Model
A simulation model is developed by VISSIM to
evaluate the effects on route guidance of drivers with
VMS or not.
3.1 Simulation network
The area along the section of Western Second
Ring road between Fu Cheng Men and Fu Xing Men
interchanges in Beijing is introduced into the
proposed simulation model as in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Simulation networks developed by VISSIM
More than 15 arteries, 16 signal intersections are
considered in the proposed model. Black dots and
panes in Figure 1 denote respectively traffic zones
and intersections. There are 15 traffic zones in the
simulation network to accommodate traffic
generations and attractions.
3.2 Traffic demand analysis
Data on traffic generations and attractions is
attained through roadside observations. The gravity
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model as Eq.(1) is used to estimate the traffic
distribution between traffic zones.
α (Oi D j )β
q ij = (1)
C ijγ
where qij denotes the traffic flow from zone i
to j ; Oi denotes traffic generation from zone i
and D j denotes traffic attractions to zone j ;
Cij is the travel cost between zone i and j ;
α , β , γ is calibrated parameters.
To ensure the convergence of results, Eq.(2) is
employed in traffic demand analysis.
1 m
F ( FOmi , FDmj ) = ( FOi + FDmj ) (2)
2
where FOmi is the growth factor of traffic
generation from zone i ; FDmj is the growth factor
of traffic attractions to zone j .
To avoid the limitation of Logit model, a
disaggregate route choice model developed through
Kirchhoff equation is applied in this study.
U sk
Ps = (3)
∑U tk t
U s is the utility of route s ; Ps denotes
where
the probability that route s is chosen; k is the
coefficient of sensitivity.
3.3 Simulation algorithms
Travel cost is an important index for traffic
demand analysis and simulation, which is iteratively
updated along with simulation time. Travel cost in
VISSIM is mainly composed of travel time
calculated through exponential smoothing in Eq.(4).
Tan , k = (1 − δ )Tan −1, k + δTan, o, k (4)
n, k
where Ta is the expected travel time on road
a during simulation time period k at iterative
n, k
step n ; Ta , o denotes the observed travel time on
road a during simulation time period k at
iterative step n ; δ is a smoothing coefficient
within 0 and 1.
The proposed simulation algorithm is following as
below.
Step 1: the setting of test time is 3600 seconds in
this simulation. The observed data and results of
traffic demand analysis are imported into the
proposed model. The results during the first 600
seconds are discarded due to the instability of initial From Figure 3, vehicle delay with VMS is kept at
simulation. about 520 seconds. The effects of VMS under
Step 2: traffic distribution and assignment are common congestion are obviously steadier.
implemented according to travel cost and the
probability of rerouting every 2 minutes from 10th 4.2 Improvement of congestion
minutes. The results of simulation are stored for
analysis. The improvement of congestion with VMS under
Step 3: repeating step 2 until the terminal of serious congestion is much larger than that under
simulation. common congestion as shown in Figure 4.

4. Results analysis Delay difference

(seconds)
Delay difference with VM S or not under different congestion

1400

The traffic network in Figure 1 is simulated with 1200 serious

1000 common
practical data through the proposed model. The
800
results present the effects on traffic efficiency and the 600
improvement of traffic congestion with VMS or not. 400
200

4.1 Effects of VMS 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Simulaition time (2 minutes/scale)

The effects of VMS on traffic performance are

different under serious and common congestions as Figure 4 Delay difference with VMS or not under
shown in Figure 2 and 3. The stability of traffic flow different congestions
under serious congestion is lower than that under From Figure 4, the improvement under serious
common. Thus the effects of VMS do not keep a congestion is evidently increasing with simulation.
smooth level under serious congestion. The difference of vehicle delay between VMS and
non-VMS exceeds 800 seconds. However, the
Delay (seconds) Delay under serious congestion
improvement under common congestion is less than
2500 450 seconds.
with VM S
2000
without VM S

1500
5. Conclusions
1000
A simulation model is developed through VISSIM
500 in this paper. Some conclusions are drawn from SP
0
survey and the case study through the proposed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 model.
Simulation Time (2 minutes/scale)
(1)Drivers prefer their used route to rerouting with
VMS when traffic congestion is aggravating.
Figure 2 Comparison of delay under serious
(2)The effects of VMS under serious congestion
congestion are not steadier than those under common
congestion.
Delay (seconds) Delay under common congestion
1200
(3)The improvement of traffic by VMS under
1000 with VM S
serious congestion is more obvious than that under
without VM S common congestion.
800
Generally, the effects of VMS are obvious to
600
improve traffic efficiencies, especially under traffic
400
congestions.
200

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Simulation time (2 minutes/scale)
6. Acknowledgements

Figure 3 Comparison of delay under common The authors of the paper are greatly indebted to
National Basic Research Program of China
congestion (No.2006CB705507), National Natural Science
From Figure 2, vehicle delay with simulation time Foundation of China (No.70571005) for their funds.
is always fluctuating between 600 and 850 seconds
with the guidance of VMS. Vehicle delay without
VMS is increasing with simulation time as a whole, 7. References
reaching the top of 1975 seconds.

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