SIMULATION OF BOTTLENECKS IN SINGLE-LANE TRAFFIC FLOW

THE BOTTLENECK BEHAVIOR OF AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC IS SIMULATED FOR ENVIRONMENTS WHERE PASSING CANNOT OCCUR AND WHERE VEHICLES NEITHER ENTER NOR LEAVE THE TRAFFIC STREAM. USING A FOLLOW-THE-LEADER PHILOSOPHY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL DRIVER, A COMPUTER MODEL IS CONSTRUCTED AND ITS PARAMETERS ARE FITTED TO OBSERVATIONAL DATA. THE MODEL CONSISTS OF A REACTION TIME-LAGGED SYSTEM OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS IN WHICH THE ACCELERATION OF EACH DRIVER IS A FUNCTION OF HIS HEADWAY, HIS VELOCITY DIFFERENCE FROM THE CAR AHEAD OF HIM, AND OTHER PERTINENT FACTORS. THE MODEL IS APPLIED TO THE STUDY OF BOTTLENECKS IN VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TUNNELS. IT IS FOUND THAT THERE ARE TWO BASIC TYPES OF BOTTLENECKS, DIFFERENTIATED BY THE BEHAVIOR IN EACH OF AN ISOLATED COMPACT PLATOON OF VEHICLES. IN A BOTTLENECK OF THE FIRST KIND, THE AVERAGE BOTTLENECK TIME HEADWAY OF THE NTH VEHICLE IN SUCH A PLATOON IS INDEPENDENT OF N (N IS COUNTED BACKWARDS FROM THE PLATOON LEADER). IN A BOTTLENECK OF THE SECOND KIND, THE AVERAGE TIME HEADWAY INCREASES WITH N. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, A BOTTLENECK OF THE SECOND KIND CAN HANDLE AN INCREASED TRAFFIC FLOW, AS COMPARED WITH THE STEADY STATE VALUE, IF THE VEHICLES ARE DELIBERATELY PLATOONED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF SUBSTANTIAL CAR-FREE GAPS. A THEORETICAL MODEL OF A BOTTLENECK OF THE SECOND KIND IS DEVELOPED IN THE FORM OF A MARKOV PROCESS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Theory of TRAFFIC FLOW, PROCEEDINGS, PP 207-238, 13 FIG,
• Corporate Authors:

  Elsevier

  Radarweg 29
  Amsterdam,   Netherlands  1043 NX
• Authors:
  • Helly, W
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Bottlenecks; Computer programs; Differential equations; Drivers; Headways; Highway traffic; Mathematical models; Reaction time; Simulation; Single lane traffic; Steady state; Traffic flow; Traffic platooning; Vehicular tunnels; Velocity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models; Parameters
• Old TRIS Terms: Vehicular traffic
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00227107
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 2004 6:47PM