Adaptive Routing Potential in Road Networks

Generally, in biological and ecological disciplines, the concept of adaptation refers to ecosystems evolutionarily changing as system perturbations. This paper extends these concepts to road transportation networks and focuses on the potential for adaptability of commuters to traffic disruptions. Specifically, we apply an Ecosystem Network Analysis (ENA) based upon an information-theoretic framework to demonstrate the potential, calculated as the number of alternate options available throughout a given network, for adaptive routing optimization on road networks. An initial assessment of balanced metrics of resilience and efficiency, calculated from 13 Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) road networks, is performed. These metrics are then compared with their respective commuter delay levels, which indicates a correlation between the balance of resilient and efficient networks and the annual commuter delay of each MSA. Whereas road network topologies that demonstrate either a highly efficient or highly resilient network structure show a tendency for higher commuter delay levels, road networks that balance efficiency and resilience suggest a tendency for lower commuter delay levels. This study's novel implication explicitly considers the road network topology as a driver of traffic delay patterns, isolated from commuter decisions.