Seminar: Neil Olver (LSE)

Zoom link: 
https://cwi-nl.zoom.us/j/84909645595?pwd=b1M4QnNKVzNMdmNSVFNaZUJmR1kvUT09 
(Meeting ID: 849 0964 5595, Passcode: 772448)

Speaker: Neil Olver (LSE)

Title: Structure and stability of equilibria in a queue-based traffic model

Abstract:
We consider the Vickrey bottleneck model of traffic flow in a network. Users control infinitesimal flow particles aiming to travel from a
source to a destination as quickly as possible. Flow patterns vary over time, and congestion effects are modelled through (deterministic) queues, which form whenever the inflow into a link exceeds its capacity. Our goal is a better understanding of equilibrium behaviour in this model, where each user selects a quickest possible route taking queueing delays into account.

I will introduce the model, discuss our current understanding of the structure of equilibria, and describe recent work showing that the model exhibits strong stability properties. In particular, if users control "packets" of non-negligible size, or if users may choose slightly suboptimal routes, we demonstrate that a resulting equilibrium remains close to the equilibrium of the original model.

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Slides