Implementation of connected and autonomous vehicles in cities could have neutral effects on the total travel time costs: modeling and analysis for a circular city

Autonomous vehicles promise to revolutionize the automobile market, although their implementation could take several decades in which both types of cars will coexist on the streets. We formulate a model for a circular city based on continuous approximations, considering demand surfaces over the city...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Medina Tapia, Marcos|||0000-0002-3961-5075, Robusté Antón, Francesc|||0000-0001-9433-5386
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/128454
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/128454
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11020482
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Autonomous vehicles
urban road network
connected and autonomous car
continuous approximation
Vehicles autònoms
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Infraestructures i modelització dels transports::Transport urbà
Descripción
Sumario:Autonomous vehicles promise to revolutionize the automobile market, although their implementation could take several decades in which both types of cars will coexist on the streets. We formulate a model for a circular city based on continuous approximations, considering demand surfaces over the city. Numerical results from our model predict direct and indirect effects of connected and autonomous vehicles. Direct effects will be positive for our cities: (a) less street supply is needed to accommodate the traffic; (b) congestion levels decrease: travel costs may decrease by 30%. Some indirect effects will counterbalance these positive effects: (c) a decrease of 20% in the value of travel time can reduce the total cost by a third; (d) induced demand could be as high as 50%, bringing equivalent total costs in the future scenario; (e) the vehicle-kilometers traveled could also affect the future scenario; and (f) increases in city size and urban sprawl. As a conclusion, the implementation of autonomous vehicles could be neutral for the cities regarding travel time costs. City planning agencies still have to promote complementary modes such as active mobility (walking and bicycle), transit (public transportation), and shared mobility (shared autonomous vehicles and mobility as a service).