Driver Turn-Taking Behavior in Congested Freeway Merges

Data from four merge locations in northern California and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, unveil a notable feature of driver turn taking. It was observed that queued vehicles from the on-ramp and freeway traffic streams entered a congested merge in some (nearly) fixed ratio that was independent of the merge outflow. Drivers in competing traffic streams thus entered the merge by adopting some definite turn-taking behavior, and this behavior was not influenced by the severity of the exogenous flow restriction from downstream. The findings validate part of an existing theory of merging traffic and should be considered when any new such theories are developed.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1934-15
• 
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Driver+Turn-Taking+Behavior+in+Congested+Freeway+Merges&author=M.+Cassidy&author=S.+Ahn&publication_year=2005
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Public/Blurbs/156936.aspx
• Authors:
  • Cassidy, Michael J
  • Ahn, Soyoung
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 140-147
• Monograph Title: Traffic Flow Theory 2005
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 1934
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Freeways; Merging traffic; On ramps; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow theory
• Geographic Terms: Northern California; Toronto (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I71: Traffic Theory;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01022838
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309094089
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 16 2006 7:38PM