Architecture for designing robust road networks
conference paper
The road network in the Netherlands and in many other countries is becoming more and more
vulnerable. Small disturbances can cause major disruptions on large parts of the network. In this
paper a new network design method is presented which focuses on improving the robustness and
therewith reducing the vulnerability of a road network. This method consists of a specification of
the design standards, a functional analysis of the road network, a design process and a test of the
quality of the robust road network design. These steps could be used to design a robust road
network for any area. In this paper these steps are worked out in detail for the network of 2020 of
the area The Hague – Rotterdam in the Netherlands to demonstrate how the method works. A
comparison of the new robust network design with the policy network of 2020 showed that in
general the robust network performs better in the situation with and without disturbances. The
total travel time is 2.3% lower, the total distance travelled is 0.8% lower and the average network
speed is 1.6% higher. Furthermore, the average number of vehicle loss hours in the case of
accidents is 29% lower, the standard deviation of these vehicle loss hours is lower as well and
vehicle loss hours are less extreme. Therefore, it is concluded that the presented design method
makes it possible to improve the robustness of a road network
vulnerable. Small disturbances can cause major disruptions on large parts of the network. In this
paper a new network design method is presented which focuses on improving the robustness and
therewith reducing the vulnerability of a road network. This method consists of a specification of
the design standards, a functional analysis of the road network, a design process and a test of the
quality of the robust road network design. These steps could be used to design a robust road
network for any area. In this paper these steps are worked out in detail for the network of 2020 of
the area The Hague – Rotterdam in the Netherlands to demonstrate how the method works. A
comparison of the new robust network design with the policy network of 2020 showed that in
general the robust network performs better in the situation with and without disturbances. The
total travel time is 2.3% lower, the total distance travelled is 0.8% lower and the average network
speed is 1.6% higher. Furthermore, the average number of vehicle loss hours in the case of
accidents is 29% lower, the standard deviation of these vehicle loss hours is lower as well and
vehicle loss hours are less extreme. Therefore, it is concluded that the presented design method
makes it possible to improve the robustness of a road network
TNO Identifier
489727
Source title
Presentation at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 11-15, 2009 Washington DC
Pages
1-18
Files
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