Simulation of traffic flows in a network

A computer simulation program which deals with traffic flows in the network of a large area is described. Each road is segmented into blocks of several ten-meter lengths and is represented by a bidirectional list in computer memory. The movement of cars, i.e. the transfer of cars from one block to the next, is expressed by a proper formula. This formula is based on the supposition that the speed of cars in a block is determined only by the density of cars in the block, and this speed-versus-density curve is empirically given the numerical values. This simulation scheme has its excellent point in that it makes it possible to trace the dynamic behavior of traffic flows in a variety of situations, some examples of which are given for an actual area of the city of Kyoto, Japan.

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