Congestion Reduction Using Ad hoc Message Dissemination in Vehicular Networks

TL;DR

This paper proposes a vehicular communication-based method to disseminate information quickly in traffic networks, aiming to influence driver behavior and reduce congestion effectively.

Contribution

It introduces a novel message dissemination procedure that leverages vehicular wireless protocols and integrates traffic and network simulation models.

Findings

Effective reduction in traffic congestion demonstrated

Coupling traffic and network models enhances simulation accuracy

Vehicular communication improves information spread speed

Abstract

Vehicle-to-vehicle communications can be used effectively for intelligent transport systems (ITS) and location-aware services. The ability to disseminate information in an ad-hoc fashion allows pertinent information to propagate faster through the network. In the realm of ITS, the ability to spread warning information faster and further is of great advantage to the receivers of this information. In this paper we propose and present a message-dissemination procedure that uses vehicular wireless protocols for influencing traffic flow, reducing congestion in road networks. The computational experiments presented in this paper show how an intelligent driver model (IDM) and car-following model can be adapted to 'react' to the reception of information. This model also presents the advantages of coupling together traffic modelling tools and network simulation tools.