Network topological effects on the macroscopic Bureau of Public Roads function

Cost flow functions are a central class of models in the transport field because they are an essential ingredient of static user equilibrium traffic assignment and transport policy and planning analysis. Macroscopic cost flow (MCF) functions, which model travel cost at different levels of network use, have gained much attention in recent decades due to their potential applications in area-wide traffic management and control, and initial land-use planning. They are the collective outcomes of the responses of road users to the existing transportation network and the interactions between road users at different levels of traffic demand. Network topological effects have long been anticipated to be the primary factors governing the shape and performance of a network. However, few studies have investigated network topology. This paper aims to unveil the direct link between network topological metrics and the parameters of a specific MCF, in the form of macroscopic Bureau of Public Roads (MBPR) function, with the support of real-world data. Seventy-one 1 km × 1 km urban built-up regions were sampled in Hong Kong. The MBPR functions of the selected regions were calibrated using taxi global positioning system data. Intensive investigations revealed that the average number of junctions per unit distance and the road density were topological features correlating with the free-flow travel time and congestion sensitivity parameters of the MBPR function, respectively. A spatially variable MBPR function was established.