1. Congestion pricing in a world of self-driving vehicles: An analysis of different strategies in alternative future scenarios.
- Author
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Simoni, Michele D., Kockelman, Kara M., Gurumurthy, Krishna M., and Bischoff, Joschka
- Subjects
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CONGESTION pricing , *TOLL roads , *DRIVERLESS cars , *TRAFFIC flow , *TRANSPORTATION - Abstract
Highlights • Multiple congestion pricing and tolling strategies are investigated. • Different scenarios are considered for an AV-oriented world and an SAV-oriented world. • An agent-based model is adopted for simulations of the Austin, Texas region. • Effects of policies on traffic conditions and social welfare are measured. • More complex and advanced strategies perform better, depending on the studied scenario. Abstract The introduction of autonomous (self-driving) and shared autonomous vehicles (AVs and SAVs) will affect travel destinations and distances, mode choice, and congestion. From a traffic perspective, although some congestion reduction may be achieved (thanks to fewer crashes and tighter headways), car-trip frequencies and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are likely to rise significantly, reducing the benefits of driverless vehicles. Congestion pricing (CP) and road tolls are key tools for moderating demand and incentivizing more socially and environmentally optimal travel choices. This work develops multiple CP and tolling strategies in alternative future scenarios, and investigates their effects on the Austin, Texas network conditions and traveler welfare, using the agent-based simulation model MATSim. Results suggest that, while all pricing strategies reduce congestion, their social welfare impacts differ in meaningful ways. More complex and advanced strategies perform better in terms of traffic conditions and traveler welfare, depending on the development of the mobility landscape of autonomous driving. The possibility to refund users by reinvesting toll revenues as traveler budgets plays a salient role in the overall efficiency of each CP strategy as well as in the public acceptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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