• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.71-79
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• 2011

Traditionally, a dynamic network model is considered as a tool for solving real-time traffic problems. One of useful and practical ways of using such models is to use it to produce and disseminate forecast travel time information so that the travelers can switch their routes from congested to less-congested or uncongested, which can enhance the performance of the network. This approach seems to be promising when the traffic congestion is severe, especially when sudden incidents happen. A consideration that should be given in implementing this method is that travel time information may affect the future traffic condition itself, creating undesirable side effects such as the over-reaction problem. Furthermore incorrect forecast travel time can make the information unreliable. In this paper, a network-wide travel time prediction model under incidents is developed. The model assumes that all drivers have access to detailed traffic information through personalized in-vehicle devices such as car navigation systems. Drivers are assumed to make their own travel choice based on the travel time information provided. A route-based stochastic variational inequality is formulated, which is used as a basic model for the travel time prediction. A diversion function is introduced to account for the motorists' willingness to divert. An inverse function of the diversion curve is derived to develop a variational inequality formulation for the travel time prediction model. Computational results illustrate the characteristics of the proposed model.