A bi-level programming model for allocating private and emergency vehicle flows in seismic disaster areas

Abstract

When a severe earthquake takes place, the road network system often suffers serious destruction and results in the malfunctioning of lifeline network systems. In particular, impassable roads and streets block transportation in evacuation, rescue and restoration. How to maintain traffic functions to facilitate rescue missions and save more lives turns out to be an essential task during the post-quake period. This paper aims at developing a decision-making tool that can potentially be used in managing the emergency vehicles and controlling the private vehicle flows in earthquake disasters. Methodologically, the problem to be addressed is formulated as a multi-commodity, two-modal network flow problem based on the concept of bi-level programming and network optimization theory. To prove the feasibility, this paper has conducted a numerical case study using a small sample data from the earthquake-raided areas. To solve the model efficiently, the genetic algorithm (GA) been applied to solve the model. A numerical example shows that this study can create an effective way to implement traffic regulation during earthquake disaster.