Big Data-Based Analysis of Urban Traffic Congestion: A Case Study of Beijing

Abstract

As urbanization continues to reshape large cities, traffic congestion remains a persistent challenge for urban transportation systems. Using Beijing as a case study, this paper examines the spatiotemporal evolution of urban traffic congestion from a deep learning perspective based on multi-source data. The results suggest that traffic congestion in Beijing displays a pronounced “dual-peak” pattern associated with daily commuting activities. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, weekday travel demand has generally recovered and in some cases exceeded previous levels, whereas holiday travel remains relatively subdued, accompanied by increasingly concentrated travel behavior. Among the models considered, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) performs particularly well in capturing nonlinear variations and temporal dependencies in traffic flow, leading to improved prediction accuracy. Between 2020 and 2025, the congestion index experienced a trajectory of decline, recovery, and subsequent stabilization, a pattern that appears to be associated with the gradual implementation of intelligent traffic management measures. These findings contribute to a better understanding of recent changes in urban traffic dynamics and may offer useful insights for future traffic planning and governance.