Traffic wave

About: Traffic wave is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2106 publications have been published within this topic receiving 62117 citations. The topic is also known as: phantom traffic jam & ghost jams.

A behavioral theory of multi-lane traffic flow. part i, long homogeneous freeway sections

Abstract: In this paper, the author presents a macroscopic behavioral theory of traffic dynamics for multi-lane freeways. The theory offers predictions for separate groups of lanes. A model is specified using eight observable parameters. The author discusses reversed lambda patterns, the hysteresis phenomenon, lane-specific patterns, and queued and unqueued traffic regimes.

Investigation of Attributes of Kinematic Waves Preceding Traffic Collisions

Abstract: The present study examines attributes of backward-moving kinematic waves that preceded traffic collisions in the vicinity of a recurrent bottleneck and compares with the ones from collision free days. The speed of backward moving waves accompanying traffic collisions were faster than the ones observed from collision free days. Traffic states observed prior to collisions were closer to the semi-congested state. Duration and frequency of kinematic waves, and the speed difference in traffic states before and after the passage of waves are also examined. Attributes of kinematic waves accompanying the secondary traffic collisions are briefly discussed in the paper. The findings indicate different attributes of kinematic waves can be used as a safety surrogate measure.

Locating the Variable Message Signs by Cell Transmission Model

Abstract: With the development of intelligent transportation technologies, the variable message signs (VMS) have been widely used in guiding and managing the dynamic traffic. It is known that cell transmission model (CTM) can well reproduce such traffic dynamics as shock waves and jams. This paper employs the CTM to study the location problem of VMS. Simulation results show that there exists an optimal VMS location to minimize the total travel time of the traffic system. How changes of route choice probabilities before and after a traffic accident affect the optimal VMS locations is also investigated and it is concluded that the VMS should be placed far from the accident site if the anticipated accident is very serious.

Stability of a Nonlocal Traffic Flow Model for Connected Vehicles

Abstract: The emerging connected and automated vehicle technologies allow vehicles to perceive and process traffic information in a wide spatial range. Modeling nonlocal interactions between connected vehicles and analyzing their impact on traffic flows become important research questions to traffic planners. This paper considers a particular nonlocal LWR model that has been studied in the literature. The model assumes that vehicle velocities are controlled by the traffic density distribution in a nonlocal spatial neighborhood. By conducting stability analysis of the model, we obtain that, under suitable assumptions on how the nonlocal information is utilized, the nonlocal traffic flow is stable around the uniform equilibrium flow and all traffic waves dissipate exponentially. Meanwhile, improper use of the nonlocal information in the vehicle velocity selection could result in persistent traffic waves. Such results can shed light to the future design of driving algorithms for connected and automated vehicles.