Multi-criteria evaluation of optimal signal strategies using traffic simulation and evolutionary algorithms

As a result of the continuous increase of motor vehicles in city areas, sustainabilityof road traffic in terms of energy and emission has become, in addition to mobility,one important aspect in the planning and management of transportation. This paper introducesa computational framework to model traffic impacts and optimize traffic controlmeasures by integrating microscopic traffic simulator with instantaneous emission modeland multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The approach is applied for evaluation andimprovement of traffic management measures mainly traffic signal plans, concerning notonly travel delay but also energy and environmental consequences. A case study is presentedto show the Pareto frontiers estimated using different strategies, or combinationof optimization objectives.