Popularity-based Alternative Routing

TL;DR

This paper presents Polaris, a novel alternative routing algorithm that uses road popularity and K-road layers to distribute traffic more evenly, reduce congestion, and lower CO2 emissions in urban areas.

Contribution

Polaris introduces the concept of K-road layers to incorporate road popularity into routing, effectively mitigating feedback loops and improving traffic and emission outcomes.

Findings

Polaris significantly reduces overuse of popular roads and intersections.

Polaris achieves substantial CO2 emission reductions.

Performs comparably to centralized algorithms with less information.

Abstract

Alternative routing is crucial to minimize the environmental impact of urban transportation while enhancing road network efficiency and reducing traffic congestion. Existing methods neglect information about road popularity, possibly leading to unintended consequences such as increasing emissions and congestion. This paper introduces Polaris, an alternative routing algorithm that exploits road popularity to optimize traffic distribution and reduce CO2 emissions. Polaris leverages the novel concept of K-road layers, which mitigates the feedback loop effect where redirecting vehicles to less popular roads could increase their popularity in the future. We conduct experiments in three cities to evaluate Polaris against state-of-the-art alternative routing algorithms. Our results demonstrate that Polaris significantly reduces the overuse of highly popular road edges and traversed regulated intersections, showcasing its ability to generate efficient routes and distribute traffic more evenly. Furthermore, Polaris achieves substantial CO2 reductions, outperforming existing alternative routing strategies. Finally, we compare Polaris to an algorithm that coordinates vehicles centrally to distribute them more evenly on the road network. Our findings reveal that Polaris performs comparably well, even with much less information, highlighting its potential as an efficient and sustainable solution for urban traffic management.