GITMob meeting no. 28
This session will take place online on 23 July 2020 (no registration required: Zoom Link). The topic of this session will be The impact of reversible lanes in the main freeway (VCI) of Porto city, presented by Lígia Conceição , Ph.D. in Transportation Systems. This presentation focuses on her research work.

Abstract
In real-world cities, solving Road Network Design Problems (RNDP) in a single-level framework through optimization is not advisable, given the numerical complexity that turns the process very time-consuming. Simulation methods appear as a method to reduce the complexity of the mathematical problem by solving one part of the problem: the lower-level problem, i.e., the performance of the network for a given network design solution. Joining simulation and optimization is also challenging in terms of programming, software interfaces, and time resources, yet a feasible solution can be obtained even when the solution process does not reach the end. The main objective of this presentation is to present the first results of a simulation-optimization (SO) framework of reversible lanes (a smart traffic control system) applied to a particular case-study: the main freeway (also known as VCI) of the city of Porto, in Portugal.

Short Bio
​Lígia Conceição, Ph.D. in Transportation Systems from MIT Portugal Program. She worked at TU Delft and MIT on research related to operations research in transport planning and traffic control strategies for automated vehicles. Her former background is an M.Sc in civil engineering focused on transport infrastructures in 2014 at the University of Porto, Portugal. She is an enthusiast and passionate about solving and optimizing problems for a better and more innovative future.