Document 
Eur. Phys. J. B 63, 321-327 (2008)
DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2008-00153-6
Network breakdown "at the edge of chaos" in multi-agent traffic simulations
M. Rieser1, 2 and K. Nagel11 Transport Systems Planning and Transport Telematics (VSP), TU Berlin, Salzufer 17-19, Sekr. SG 12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
2 Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT), ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Received 31 August 2007 / Received in final form 14 February 2008 / Published online 18 April 2008
Abstract
Traffic is
highly influenced by network structure and human behaviour. Small
changes in the human behaviour can lead to huge changes in the load of
a traffic network. Current transportation models do not, and most of
them cannot, research such random behaviour but always calculate a
steady state. In our multi-agent transport simulation, we frequently
observe seemingly random "network breakdowns", huge traffic jams that
spread over a big part of the network, making a normal traffic flow
impossible. This paper describes the investigations that were
performed on the results of our large-scale multi-agent transport
simulations in an attempt to contribute to the better understanding of
the dynamic processes in such simulations and, hopefully, better
understanding and modelling of the real-world.
45.70.Vn - Granular models of complex systems; traffic flow.
89.40.Bb - Land transportation.
89.75.-k - Complex systems.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2008