Event Overview
This talk covers the theory, empirical validation, and control of the capacity drop phenomenon at sag and tunnel bottlenecks. We first overview a continuum theory of capacity drop at these bottlenecks, which clearly explains the connection between the bottleneck effect and the resulting capacity drop. The theory is then validated both qualitatively and quantitatively using empirical data from multiple sites in Japan. New control strategies for mitigating capacity drop are also introduced and compared. Finally, based on these insights, we discuss case studies on evaluating an existing control method and on designing a new control method grounded in the theoretical framework.
Dr. Kentaro Wada is an Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in Information Sciences from Tohoku University in 2013. His research covers a wide range of topics in transportation systems, including traffic flow theory with emphasis on capacity drop phenomena, dynamic equilibrium models of departure time and route choice, market-based demand management such as tradable network permits, and traffic signal optimization. Dr. Wada was a Visiting Scholar at UCI in 2017–2018.
