A COMPARISON OF SYSTEM OPTIMUM AND USER EQUILIBRIUM DYNAMIC TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENTS WITH SCHEDULE DELAYS

One way to estimate the potential benefits of new traffic control and management systems is to compare the total cost incurred in equilibriu m with the system optimized total cost. To do this, we formulate the d ynamic traffic assignment models with schedule delays under the system optimum and user equilibrium principles and solve them using numerica l methods. System optimum and user equilibrium dynamic assignments on an 18-arc test network are then compared in terms of total travel time s and schedule delays at different levels of traffic congestion. This comparison provides important implications for the success of the inte lligent transportation systems (ITS) in reducing traffic congestion.