CONGESTION AND EFFICIENCY IN COMPLEX TRAFFIC NETWORKS

Abstract

This paper investigates the degree of congestion and efficiency in complex traffic networks, by introducing congestion effects, which can be described by flow-based link cost functions. Different network topologies including random networks, small-world networks and scale-free networks are explored. The impact of different distributions of capacity and origin-destination traffic demand on the degree of congestion and efficiency in complex networks is mainly studied. A phase transition from free flow state to traffic jams can be uncovered. The relationship between congestion and efficiency in complex networks is also discussed.