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Journal ArticleDOI

A model for the structure of lane-changing decisions

TL;DR: A structure is proposed to connect the decisions which a driver has to make before changing lanes to ensure that the vehicles in traffic simulations behave logically when confronted with situations commonly encountered in real traffic.
Abstract: A structure is proposed to connect the decisions which a driver has to make before changing lanes. The model is intended to cover the urban driving situation, where traffic signals, obstructions and heavy vehicles all exert an influence. The structure is designed to ensure that the vehicles in traffic simulations behave logically when confronted with situations commonly encountered in real traffic. The specific mathematical expression of the questions embedded in the decision process and employed in the present implementation of the model are not critical and can be replaced by alternatives, but the heirarchy of the decisions is crucial. On the basis of experience to date, the lane changing model produces a realistic simulation of driver behaviour and has proved very robust under a wide range of conditions.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article considers the empirical data and then reviews the main approaches to modeling pedestrian and vehicle traffic, including microscopic (particle-based), mesoscopic (gas-kinetic), and macroscopic (fluid-dynamic) models.
Abstract: Since the subject of traffic dynamics has captured the interest of physicists, many surprising effects have been revealed and explained. Some of the questions now understood are the following: Why are vehicles sometimes stopped by ``phantom traffic jams'' even though drivers all like to drive fast? What are the mechanisms behind stop-and-go traffic? Why are there several different kinds of congestion, and how are they related? Why do most traffic jams occur considerably before the road capacity is reached? Can a temporary reduction in the volume of traffic cause a lasting traffic jam? Under which conditions can speed limits speed up traffic? Why do pedestrians moving in opposite directions normally organize into lanes, while similar systems ``freeze by heating''? All of these questions have been answered by applying and extending methods from statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics to self-driven many-particle systems. This article considers the empirical data and then reviews the main approaches to modeling pedestrian and vehicle traffic. These include microscopic (particle-based), mesoscopic (gas-kinetic), and macroscopic (fluid-dynamic) models. Attention is also paid to the formulation of a micro-macro link, to aspects of universality, and to other unifying concepts, such as a general modeling framework for self-driven many-particle systems, including spin systems. While the primary focus is upon vehicle and pedestrian traffic, applications to biological or socio-economic systems such as bacterial colonies, flocks of birds, panics, and stock market dynamics are touched upon as well.

3,117 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A general model (minimizing overall braking induced by lane change, MOBIL) is proposed to derive lane-changing rules for discretionary and mandatory lane changes for a wide class of car-following models and allows one to vary the motivation for lane changing from purely egoistic to more cooperative driving behavior.
Abstract: A general model (minimizing overall braking induced by lane change, MOBIL) is proposed to derive lane-changing rules for discretionary and mandatory lane changes for a wide class of car-following models. Both the utility of a given lane and the risk associated with lane changes are determined in terms of longitudinal accelerations calculated with microscopic traffic models. This determination allows for the formulation of compact and general safety and incentive criteria for both symmetric and asymmetric passing rules. Moreover, anticipative elements and the crucial influence of velocity differences of these car-following models are automatically transferred to the lane-changing rules. Although the safety criterion prevents critical lane changes and collisions, the incentive criterion takes into account the advantages and disadvantages of other drivers associated with a lane change via the "politeness factor." The parameter allows one to vary the motivation for lane changing from purely egoistic to more c...

976 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview and taxonomy of a large range of mobility models available for vehicular ad hoc networks is proposed to provide readers with a guideline to easily understand and objectively compare the different models, and eventually identify the one required for their needs.
Abstract: Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) have been recently attracting an increasing attention from both research and industry communities. One of the challenges posed by the study of VANETs is the definition of a vehicular mobility model providing an accurate and realistic vehicular mobility description at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. Another challenge is to be able to dynamically alter this vehicular mobility as a consequence of the vehicular communication protocols. Many mobility models have been developed by the community in order to solve these two issues. However, due to the large number of available models claiming to be adapted to vehicular traffic, and also due to their different and somehow incomparable features, understanding their true characteristics, their degree of realism with respect to vehicular mobility, and real capabilities is a hard task. In this survey, we first introduce a framework that proposes a guideline for the generation of vehicular mobility models. Then, we illustrate the different approaches chosen by the community for the development of vehicular mobility models and their interactions with network simulators. Finally, we propose an overview and taxonomy of a large range of mobility models available for vehicular ad hoc networks. The objective is to provide readers with a guideline to easily understand and objectively compare the different models, and eventually identify the one required for their needs.

759 citations


Cites methods from "A model for the structure of lane-c..."

  • ...Most of the models are based on a Gap Acceptance threshold [ 54 ] or a set of rules [55]....

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  • ...In this survey, we mostly found  Gibbs Model for Lane Changing (GP-LC) [ 54 ] and its variations such as [56]  Wiedeman Psycho-Physical Model for Lange Changing (Psycho-LC) [58]  MOBIL [57]...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The simulator is a component of a larger system for evaluating traffic management systems and interacts with a surveillance module that can represent a wide variety of sensors and a traffic management module which sets traffic signals and signs, routing recommendations, etc.
Abstract: A MIcroscopic Traffic SIMulator (MITSIM) has been developed for modeling traffic networks with advanced traffic control, route guidance and surveillance systems. MITSIM represents networks in detail and simulates individual vehicle movements using car following, lane changing, and traffic signal responding logic. A probabilistic route choice model is used to capture drivers' route choice decisions in the presence of real time traffic information provided by route guidance systems. The simulator is a component of a larger system for evaluating traffic management systems and interacts with a surveillance module that can represent a wide variety of sensors (e.g. loop detectors, area sensors, probe vehicles, etc.) and a traffic management module which sets traffic signals and signs, routing recommendations, etc. MITSIM is coded in C+ + using object-oriented design and supports distributed implementation. It includes a graphical user interface for animating vehicle movements in the network and displaying aggregate traffic information such as speed and density.

696 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A class of routing protocols called road-based using vehicular traffic (RBVT) routing, which outperforms existing routing protocols in city-based vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), is presented and designed and implemented and compared them with protocols representative of mobileAd hoc networks and VANets.
Abstract: This paper presents a class of routing protocols called road-based using vehicular traffic (RBVT) routing, which outperforms existing routing protocols in city-based vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). RBVT protocols leverage real-time vehicular traffic information to create road-based paths consisting of successions of road intersections that have, with high probability, network connectivity among them. Geographical forwarding is used to transfer packets between intersections on the path, reducing the path's sensitivity to individual node movements. For dense networks with high contention, we optimize the forwarding using a distributed receiver-based election of next hops based on a multicriterion prioritization function that takes nonuniform radio propagation into account. We designed and implemented a reactive protocol RBVT-R and a proactive protocol RBVT-P and compared them with protocols representative of mobile ad hoc networks and VANETs. Simulation results in urban settings show that RBVT-R performs best in terms of average delivery rate, with up to a 40% increase compared with some existing protocols. In terms of average delay, RBVT-P performs best, with as much as an 85% decrease compared with the other protocols.

513 citations


Cites methods from "A model for the structure of lane-c..."

  • ...mobility generator that we have developed based on the carfollowing and lane-changing models proposed by Gipps [19], [20]....

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  • ...In these tests, we used a vehicular traffic generator that we developed based on the carfollowing model proposed by Gipps [19], [20]....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new model is constructed for the response of the following vehicle based on the assumption that each driver sets limits to his desired braking and acceleration rates and it is shown that when realistic values are assigned to the parameters in a simulation, the model reproduces the characteristics of real traffic flow.
Abstract: The ability to predict the response of a vehicle in a stream of traffic to the behaviour of its predecessor is important in estimating what effect changes to the driving environment will have on traffic flow. Various proposed to explain this behaviour have different strengths and weaknesses. The paper constructs a new model for the response of the following vehicle based on the assumption that each driver sets limits to his desired braking and acceleration rates. The parameters in the model correspond directly to obvious characteristics of driver behaviour and the paper goes on to show that when realistic values are assigned to the parameters in a simulation, the model reproduces the characteristics of real traffic flow.

1,925 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A variety of nonlinear follow-the-leader models of traffic flow are discussed in this article in the light of available observational and experimental data, with emphasis placed on steady-state flow equations.
Abstract: A variety of nonlinear follow-the-leader models of traffic flow are discussed in the light of available observational and experimental data. Emphasis is placed on steady-state flow equations. Some trends regarding the advantages of certain follow-the-leader functionals over others are established. However, it is found from extensive correlation studies that more data are needed before one can establish the unequivocal superiority of one particular model. A discussion is given of some ideas concerning the possible reasons for the existence of a bimodal flow versus concentration curve especially for multilane highways.

1,429 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that a small amplitude disturbance propagates through a series of cars in the manner described by linear theories, except that the dependence of the wave velocity on the car velocity causes an accleration wave to spread as it propagates and a deceleration wave forming a stable shock.
Abstract: It is assumed that the velocity of a car at time t is some nonlinear function of the spacial headway at time t-Δ, so the equations of motion for a sequence of cars consists of a set of differential-difference equations. There is a special family of velocity-headway relations that agrees well with experimental data for steady flow, and that also gives differential equations which for Δ = 0 can be solved explicitly. Some exact solutions of these equations show that a small amplitude disturbance propagates through a series of cars in the manner described by linear theories except that the dependence of the wave velocity on the car velocity causes an accleration wave to spread as it propagates and a deceleration wave to form a stable shock. These conclusions are then shown to hold for quite general types of velocity-headway relations, and to yield a theory that in certain limiting cases gives all the results of the linear car-following theories and in other cases all the features of the nonlinear continuum theories, plus a detailed picture of the shock structure.

918 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The linear theory of single-lane traffic flow is generalized by using an integral transform technique well-known in other branches of applied science that introduces the idea of a memory function that describes the way in which a driver processes the information he receives from a lead vehicle.
Abstract: The linear theory of single-lane traffic flow is generalized by using an integral transform technique well-known in other branches of applied science. This technique introduces the idea of a memory function that describes the way in which a driver processes the information he receives from a lead vehicle. Several analytical examples are computed and the earlier linear model is discussed as a special case of the more general theory.

70 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a discrete vehicle simulation using program MULTSIM has been run on a 6 km idealized road and also on 2.3 km of the multi-lane arterial, Military Road, Sydney.

24 citations