Effect of road pricing on the spatial distribution of traffic flow in a grid network

Abstract

This paper develops a continuous approximation model for analyzing the effect of road pricing on the spatial distribution of traffic flow. The traffic flow density, which describes traffic flow as a function of position, is derived for a rectangular city with a grid network. The analytical expression for the traffic flow density demonstrates how the toll level, the size and shape of the toll area, and the shape of the city affect the spatial distribution of traffic flow. As the size of the toll area increases, reducing the traffic flow density at the city center becomes difficult. As the aspect ratio of the toll area increases, the traffic flow density at the city center increases. The shape of the city has less impact on the traffic flow density than the shape of the toll area.