AN ANALYSIS OF THE BOLTZMANN-TYPE STATISTICAL MODELS FOR MULTI-LANE TRAFFIC FLOW

A FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IN UNDIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC FLOW THEORY IS THE DETERMINATION OF THE SPEED DISTRIBUTION AS A FUNCTION OF CONCENTRATION. ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL STOCHASTIC APPROACHES INVOLVES CONCEPTS FROM THE KINETIC THEORY OF GASES. HOWEVER, THERE IS SOME DIFFICULTY IN THE APPLICATION OF THESE CONCEPTS TO THE DESCRIPTION OF TRAFFIC FLOW ON MULTI-LANE HIGHWAYS. THE PUBLICATIONS DESCRIBING THE BOLTZMANN-TYPE MODELS FOR MULTI-LANE FLOW ARE REVIEWED. THE BASIC AND GENERALIZED BOLTZMANN-TYPE EQUATIONS FOR TRAFFIC FLOW HAVE BEEN DERIVED WITH MORE EMPHASIS ON THE PHYSICAL MEANING OF THE ANALYTICAL DERIVATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE TRAFFIC CONTEXT. AN ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO CLARIFY AND TO REVIEW CRITICALLY THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE AND TO PRESENT THE BASIC MATERIAL IN A MORE COMPREHENSIBLE FORM. THE MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATION ON WHICH THE RELAXATION, INTERACTION, AND ADJUSTMENT PROCESSES ARE BASED HAVE BEEN EVALUATED IN DEPTH. THE ROLE OF THESE THREE PROCESSES IN THE TRAFFIC CONTEXT IS EVALUATED, AND ABILITY TO DESCRIBE THE VEHICULAR FLOW ON MULTI-LANE HIGHWAYS IS DISCUSSED. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 3, No 1, PP 151-163
• Corporate Authors:

  System Development Corporation

  2500 Colorado Avenue
  Santa Monica, CA  United States  90409
• Authors:
  • Munjal, P
  • Pahl, J
• Publication Date: 0

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Transportation Research /UK/
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Pergamon Press, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Mathematical models; Multilane highways; One way traffic; Speed; Statistical analysis; Traffic flow
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00227202
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 2004 6:56PM