Towards Impact Assessment of Cooperative Routing on Traffic Efficiency: A System Dynamics Approach

The proliferation of connected vehicles and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) introduces novel opportunities for enhancing various aspects in traffic (e.g., efficiency, sustainability, safety). As C-ITS gains prominence, evaluating its impact requires comprehensive impact assessment studies. While microscopic simulators and Agent-based Models (ABM) dominate C-ITS evaluations, this paper adopts an alternative approach, utilizing System Dynamics (SD) to assess the impact of Cooperative Routing (CR) on traffic efficiency. Thereby a Stock-Flow Model (SFM) is developed, considering parameters such as equipment rates, delay thresholds, and route update intervals. Results indicate that even a low equipment rate (25%) significantly improves traffic efficiency. However, high equipment rates with prolonged route update intervals introduce challenges, causing route overloads and increased delays. These effects are consistent with the current literature on CR using ABM. Furthermore, this study suggests possibilities for model extensions, including predictive rerouting, alternative rerouting criteria, and consideration of sustainability impacts. Overall, these findings contribute to further development in the direction of cooperative connected and automated mobility.