Masashi Okushima

Development of the Microscopic Traffic Simulation Model with the Fuzzy Logic technique

Microscopic traffic simulation (MTS) has attracted increasing attention in the last two decades as it analyzes individual vehicle/driver behavior more precisely and realistically than other methods. MTS is nothing but a series of human decisions under various traffic situations. Since human element is involved at many stages of simulation, the possibility of approximation/error in the decisions would be high. In this direction, the fuzzy logic technique appropriately takes such approximations into account while modeling drivers’ decisions. Some of the MTS models have considered fuzzy logic in at most one or two models, such as car following, lane change behavior, etc., with limited urban congested conditions. However, human involvement exists beyond these and realistic output from the simulation would not be possible unless the approximations involved at different stages are appropriately and simultaneously considered. In the present study, a Fuzzy Logic based Microscopic Traffic Simulation Model (FLoMiTSiM) to describe human behavior on the urban road network in many possible situations is proposed and appropriately validated using the observed data from the city of Gifu, Japan. To demonstrate the applicability and suitability of the proposed FLoMiTSiM, bus priority policies, namely bus lanes, are evaluated.

Analysis of Railway User Travel Behaviour Patterns of Different Age Groups

This study presents an analysis of travel behavior patterns of different age groups of urban railway users in the Keihanshin metropolitan area of Japan. The objective is to examine the relationship between urban public transportation use and urban activities. The study examines urban activities within aging societies, focusing on the differences in travel behavior of railway users by age groups.

Practical Management of Distance Based Toll System for Urban Expressway

According to the extension of Electronic Toll Collection System (ETC), the distance based toll system has been recently introduced to realize the effective traffic management for urban transport networks. However, the particular type of distance based toll should be specified from the empirical study. Even though the step function is applied in the real world, many types of function can be assumed between the distance and the price of toll. The optimization technique with intelligent information processing is proposed as well to specify the parameters in the particular distance based toll function. In the study, urban road network in Keihanshin area is analyzed as an empirical study. The traffic assignment technique is modified to estimate the traffic conditions on the network with describing the individual route charging as well as diversion traffic in case of distance based toll system. The impact of implementation of distance based toll onto the real scale transport network can be evaluated to discuss the social benefit of road users. The advanced technique with intelligent information processing can be proposed to determine the optimal combination of parameters in distance based toll function. In the study, the reduction of total travel time of road users is regarded as the index of the social benefit on urban network. Therefore, the estimation model of total travel time is created by neural network without the estimation process for large scale network. After the optimal combination of parameters is determined, practical road pricing policy on the urban network can be analyzed. Therefore, the toll system of urban expressway is investigated in terms of empirical study. Finally, the optimal function form of distance based toll is recommended in practical implementation.

Multi-agent Simulation of Commuting Modal Shift Considering with Health Conscious

From the viewpoint of restraint of the car, a bicycle attracts attention as substitute transportation. The feasibility of the modal shift would be increased by mobility management focused on health conscious with the appropriate improvement of the service level of the bicycle road to get rid of the custom of the private vehicle. The health conscious fluctuates under the influence of others. The multi-agent commuting simulation model is developed to examine the transport policies for health in consideration of local interaction about the health conscious. The influence of the transport policies is measured with the proposed simulation model and the effect is analyzed. Therefore, it can be found that health conscious and the local interaction are important for the impact analysis of transport policies for health.

Multi-agent simulation for promoting clean energy vehicle considering with local interaction

Multi-agent simulation approach is suitable to describe the heterogeneity on social interaction. The diffusion rate of clean energy vehicle such as EV or PHV is estimated with the proposed MAS system. The simulator consists of three interactive calculation processes such as the vehicle choice process, the emission process and the possession process. The vehicle choice process consists of the vehicle choice model and the local interaction model. The vehicle choice is affected by the concern for environment and the local interaction effect in the model. The relation between agents like a social network of the real world is generated with a simple algorithm by small world network model. The time series changes of the number of the clean energy vehicle and the volume of greenhouse gas emission are estimated by proposed multi-agent simulation. Finally, it can be concluded that the proposed multi agent simulation with local interaction is useful for promotion planning of CEV.

Multi-agent transport simulation model with social network in small world

Consciousness for the environmental problem of individual trip maker is important for eco-commuting promotion. Eco-consciousness would be changed by influence of other people. Therefore, the multi-agent transport simulation model with social network in small world is developed to describe the interaction of eco-consciousness for modal shift in the study. The developed simulator consists of four interactive procedures such as the agent travel behavior model, the traffic environment model, the agent eco-consciousness alteration model and the agent eco-consciousness interaction model. The commuting mode choice is described in the agent travel behavior model. On the other hand, the carbon dioxide emission from the traffic flow on urban network is estimated in traffic environment model. Moreover, the agent updates the eco-consciousness according to the evaluation of traffic environment in the agent eco-consciousness alteration model. Furthermore, the eco-consciousness of the agent is influenced by the related agents in the agent eco-consciousness interaction model. Particularly, the relation between agents is defined based on the small world network by reference to the Watts and Strogatz model.

Transport Demand Managemnet to Community Bus System in Local City with Using Artificial Society

The structure of traffic demand for community bus system in local city is different from for normal traffic mode. Therefore, internal transport demand should be aroused. In the study, a frame of analysis not only considering with level of service but also with variety of characteristic is proposed. A resident in local city is regarded as an agent and an artificial society is constructed concerning with urban transport system with community bus. A characteristic of actual conditions of community bus system in the target area is summarized. A complex structure of decision making is modelling with decition tree method. moreover, emergency from interaction and micromacro relation is observed in artificial society with community bus. Therefore, it is instructive for the transportation policy with community bus.

OPTIMAL ALLOCATION PROBLEM IN THE DIVERSION SYSTEM ON URBAN EXPRESSWAY

都市高速道路の都心部の混雑緩和方策として, 一般道路との関係を考慮した乗り継ぎ制が検討されている. これは, 都市高速道路の均一料金制を前提とした特別措置である乗り継ぎ制を混雑部分の迂回促進を意図した交通管理に応用しようとするものである. 本研究では, 現実的な道路網を対象として検討を行う. このため, まず乗り継ぎ制の基本的概念について述べるとともに, 乗り継ぎ制に関する既存研究の整理を行う. つぎに, 現実的な例として阪神高速道路および関連道路網をとりあげ, 交通均衡状態を基本とした乗り継ぎ制の最適導入ランプペアの設定について検討する. このとき, 乗り継ぎ制の運用計画面で重要となる乗り継ぎ地点の最適配置の問題を具体的に検討するため遺伝的アルゴリズムを利用する.