A fast simulation algorithm for multiple moving bottlenecks and applications in urban freight traffic management

Moving bottlenecks are moving capacity restrictions that affect traffic flows, and they can be used to describe the effects of buses and trucks in transportation networks. The computation of solutions associated with the presence of moving bottlenecks is complex, since they both influence and are influenced by surrounding traffic. In this study, we propose a fast numerical scheme that can efficiently compute the solutions to an arbitrary number of moving (and fixed) bottlenecks, for a stretch of road modeled by the Lighthill–Whitham–Richards (LWR) model. Several different moving bottlenecks can be simulated endogenously all together by means of an algorithm based on a semi-analytic Lax–Hopf formula. Since the numerical scheme is semi-analytic and requires a very low number of operations, it can be employed for traffic estimation problems where fast and accurate solutions are required. We demonstrate the capabilities of the method by implementing two alternative traffic management strategies designed to minimize the negative impacts of trucks and buses in urban environments.