A SIMPLE STOCHASTIC MODEL FOR FREEWAY TRAFFIC

A simple stochastic model for freeway traffic is formulated as follows: each vehicle passing a fixed point in a given lane is assigned as F (follower) or L (leader) with probabilities, p, 1. Each car is assigned an independent headway drawn from either a leader or follower distribution. A L vehicle draws its speed from a normal distribution whose mean is the time mean speed. But a F vehicle draws speed from a normal distribution whose mean is equal to the speed of the car ahead of it. Using only two adjustable parameters, the model shows surprisingly good agreement with the statistical properties of freeway traffic over a large range of flow rates as reported in Breiman et al. (1976). /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Maxwell House, Fairview Park
  Elmsford, NY  United States  10523
• Authors:
  • BREIMAN, L
  • Lawrence, R
• Publication Date: 1977-6

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 177-182
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research /UK/
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Pergamon Press, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freeways; Headways; Mathematical models; Motor vehicles; Speed; Statistical analysis; Traffic flow; Traffic speed
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00163633
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Analytic
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 29 1977 12:00AM