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Whether it’s birds in a flock or drivers in traffic, agent-based modelling can describe complex phenomena by applying a simple set of rules to each individual’s behaviour. Barry Sweet/EPA

Traffic is complex, but modelling using deceptively simple rules can help unravel what’s going on

By identifying and applying the key rules governing the behaviour of each individual, agent-based modelling offers insights into complex phenomena like traffic jams and flocking.
The morning traffic builds up on the Tasman Highway at Montagu Bay. Congestion has become a hot issue for Hobart residents. Wiki ian/Wikipedia

Growth pains and gridlock come to Hobart, and building more roads is not the best way out

Hobart is a smaller city with big city problems that have become an election issue. Recent growth is creating traffic congestion that affects productivity, residents’ health and liveability.
Reforming how drivers pay for the costs of their road use can help keep traffic flowing, which is just one of the potential benefits. Holli/Shutterstock

Delay in changing direction on how we tax drivers will cost us all

Traffic congestion is the main cost that cars create when they use existing roads. Road use charges are a more efficient and fairer way to cover the cost and help ensure traffic flows.
A trial of 1,400 drivers across Melbourne suggests time-of-use charges can be effective in easing traffic congestion. AMPG/Shutterstock

City-wide trial shows how road use charges can reduce traffic jams

A city-wide experiment suggests well-designed road use charges could ease congestion by encouraging people to drive at different times, take other routes or use other transport.
Rush-hour traffic in Jakarta on 13 June 2017. If not for fuel subsidy cuts, the congestion could have been even worse. Reuters/Beawiharta

Indonesia’s fuel subsidy cuts prevented even worse traffic jams

Traffic continues to increase, but more slowly than would have been the case if the reforms had not gone ahead.
Drivers make some suboptimal routing decisions when they’re traveling around town. A. Lima et al. J. R. Soc. Int. DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0021

Recalculating! By not driving the optimal route, you’re causing traffic jams

No wonder you’re always late. Drivers use a route that minimizes travel time on only a third of their trips. Here’s how real-world data can help planners fight traffic congestion.
The mathematical modelling of traffic networks can throw up conflicting results. Flickr/Wendell

The maths of congestion: springs, strings and traffic jams

The planning for any new road should include plenty of mathematical modelling. But getting the right numbers can be a challenge and there’s the odd paradox to deal with as well.

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