Analysis of road pricing, metering and the priority treatment of high occupancy vehicles using system dynamics

Abstract

Transportation Systems Management (TSM) employs various techniques such as road pricing, metering and the priority treatment of high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) in an effort to make more efficient use of existing transportation facilities. Efficiency is improved in terms of moving more people through the facility while simultaneously reducing the number of vehicles using the facility. This report uses a hypothetical toll facility and examines four computer modeling approaches to determine which of the approaches are valid in terms of predicting the behavior of trip makers seeking to use the facility in response to various combinations of TSM techniques. Once an approach has been determined to be valid, seven different combination of TSM techniques, or strategies, are compared to a base strategy to determine what strategy or strategies are most affective in achieving the goals of TSM. The strategies examined include combinations of increasing the toll costs to HOVs and low occupancy vehicles (LOVs) as well as reducing the rate at which LOVs are allowed to proceed through the facility.