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On the Existence and Uniqueness of Equilibrium in the Bottleneck Model with Atomic Users

Published: 01 August 2017 Publication History

Abstract

This paper investigates the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium in the Vickrey bottleneck model when each user controls a positive fraction of total traffic. Users simultaneously choose departure schedules for their vehicle fleets. Each user internalizes the congestion cost that each of its vehicles imposes on other vehicles in its fleet. We establish three results. First, a pure strategy Nash equilibrium PSNE may not exist. Second, if a PSNE does exist, identical users may incur appreciably different equilibrium costs. Finally, a multiplicity of PSNE can exist in which no queuing occurs but departures begin earlier or later than in the system optimum. The order in which users depart can be suboptimal as well. Nevertheless, by internalizing self-imposed congestion costs individual users can realize much, and possibly all, of the potential cost savings from either centralized traffic control or time-varying congestion tolls.

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Cited By

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  • (2022)Departure Time Choice Equilibrium and Tolling Strategies for a Bottleneck with Stochastic CapacityTransportation Science10.1287/trsc.2021.103956:1(79-102)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2022
  • (2019)Multimedia Crowdsourcing With Bounded Rationality: A Cognitive Hierarchy PerspectiveIEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications10.1109/JSAC.2019.291644837:7(1478-1488)Online publication date: 14-Jun-2019
  • (2018)Are We Really Solving the Dynamic Traffic Equilibrium Problem with a Departure Time Choice?Transportation Science10.1287/trsc.2017.076452:3(603-620)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2018

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        Published In

        cover image Transportation Science
        Transportation Science  Volume 51, Issue 3
        August 2017
        239 pages

        Publisher

        INFORMS

        Linthicum, MD, United States

        Publication History

        Published: 01 August 2017
        Accepted: 25 November 2015
        Received: 14 October 2014

        Author Tags

        1. atomic users
        2. bottleneck model
        3. existence of equilibrium
        4. large users
        5. uniqueness of equilibrium

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        View all
        • (2022)Departure Time Choice Equilibrium and Tolling Strategies for a Bottleneck with Stochastic CapacityTransportation Science10.1287/trsc.2021.103956:1(79-102)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2022
        • (2019)Multimedia Crowdsourcing With Bounded Rationality: A Cognitive Hierarchy PerspectiveIEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications10.1109/JSAC.2019.291644837:7(1478-1488)Online publication date: 14-Jun-2019
        • (2018)Are We Really Solving the Dynamic Traffic Equilibrium Problem with a Departure Time Choice?Transportation Science10.1287/trsc.2017.076452:3(603-620)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2018

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