Momentum-based access and speed control for improved safety in heterogeneous road networks

Abstract

The increasing variety of means of transportation, including light vehicles like e-scooters and e-bikes, together with the increasing weight of conventional vehicles due to electrification and consumer preferences for SUVs, are raising serious concerns regarding the safety of road networks. In this paper we design a two-level control algorithm to improve the safety of heterogeneous networks: first, an access control strategy decreases the heterogeneity of the network depending on actual traffic conditions; then, a speed control strategy mitigates the probability of serious injuries in potential collisions. Both control strategies are designed based on momentum considerations, as this is regarded as the most influential variable to assess injury risk. The road network mobility simulator SUMO is adopted to implement and validate our proposed control strategies.