1,900 research outputs found
Fundamentals of Traffic Flow
From single vehicle data a number of new empirical results concerning the
density-dependence of the velocity distribution and its moments as well as the
characteristics of their temporal fluctuations have been determined. These are
utilized for the specification of some fundamental relations of traffic flow
and compared with existing traffic theories.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.htm
Macroscopic Dynamics of Multi-Lane Traffic
We present a macroscopic model of mixed multi-lane freeway traffic that can
be easily calibrated to empirical traffic data, as is shown for Dutch highway
data. The model is derived from a gas-kinetic level of description, including
effects of vehicular space requirements and velocity correlations between
successive vehicles. We also give a derivation of the lane-changing rates. The
resulting dynamic velocity equations contain non-local and anisotropic
interaction terms which allow a robust and efficient numerical simulation of
multi-lane traffic. As demonstrated by various examples, this facilitates the
investigation of synchronization patterns among lanes and effects of on-ramps,
off-ramps, lane closures, or accidents.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.htm
Structure and Instability of High-Density Equations for Traffic Flow
Similar to the treatment of dense gases, fluid-dynamic equations for the
dynamics of congested vehicular traffic are derived from Enskog-like kinetic
equations. These contain additional terms due to the anisotropic vehicle
interactions. The calculations are carried out up to Navier-Stokes order. A
linear instability analysis indicates an additional kind of instability
compared to previous macroscopic traffic models. The relevance for describing
granular flows is outlined.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.htm
Modeling the desired direction in a force-based model for pedestrian dynamics
We introduce an enhanced model based on the generalized centrifugal force
model. Furthermore, the desired direction of pedestrians is investigated. A new
approach leaning on the well-known concept of static and dynamic floor-fields
in cellular automata is presented. Numerical results of the model are presented
and compared with empirical data.Comment: 14 pages 11 figures, submitted to TGF'1
Pedestrian, Crowd, and Evacuation Dynamics
This contribution describes efforts to model the behavior of individual
pedestrians and their interactions in crowds, which generate certain kinds of
self-organized patterns of motion. Moreover, this article focusses on the
dynamics of crowds in panic or evacuation situations, methods to optimize
building designs for egress, and factors potentially causing the breakdown of
orderly motion.Comment: This is a review paper. For related work see http://www.soms.ethz.c
Coherent Moving States in Highway Traffic (Originally: Moving Like a Solid Block)
Recent advances in multiagent simulations have made possible the study of
realistic traffic patterns and allow to test theories based on driver
behaviour. Such simulations also display various empirical features of traffic
flows, and are used to design traffic controls that maximise the throughput of
vehicles in heavily transited highways. In addition to its intrinsic economic
value, vehicular traffic is of interest because it may throw light on some
social phenomena where diverse individuals competitively try to maximise their
own utilities under certain constraints.
In this paper, we present simulation results that point to the existence of
cooperative, coherent states arising from competitive interactions that lead to
a new phenomenon in heterogeneous highway traffic. As the density of vehicles
increases, their interactions cause a transition into a highly correlated state
in which all vehicles practically move with the same speed, analogous to the
motion of a solid block. This state is associated with a reduced lane changing
rate and a safe, high and stable flow. It disappears as the vehicle density
exceeds a critical value. The effect is observed in recent evaluations of Dutch
traffic data.Comment: Submitted on April 21, 1998. For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.html and
http://www.parc.xerox.com/dynamics
Breakdown and recovery in traffic flow models
Most car-following models show a transition from laminar to ``congested''
flow and vice versa. Deterministic models often have a density range where a
disturbance needs a sufficiently large critical amplitude to move the flow from
the laminar into the congested phase. In stochastic models, it may be assumed
that the size of this amplitude gets translated into a waiting time, i.e.\
until fluctuations sufficiently add up to trigger the transition. A recently
introduced model of traffic flow however does not show this behavior: in the
density regime where the jam solution co-exists with the high-flow state, the
intrinsic stochasticity of the model is not sufficient to cause a transition
into the jammed regime, at least not within relevant time scales. In addition,
models can be differentiated by the stability of the outflow interface. We
demonstrate that this additional criterion is not related to the stability of
the flow. The combination of these criteria makes it possible to characterize
commonalities and differences between many existing models for traffic in a new
way
Two-lane traffic rules for cellular automata: A systematic approach
Microscopic modeling of multi-lane traffic is usually done by applying
heuristic lane changing rules, and often with unsatisfying results. Recently, a
cellular automaton model for two-lane traffic was able to overcome some of
these problems and to produce a correct density inversion at densities somewhat
below the maximum flow density. In this paper, we summarize different
approaches to lane changing and their results, and propose a general scheme,
according to which realistic lane changing rules can be developed. We test this
scheme by applying it to several different lane changing rules, which, in spite
of their differences, generate similar and realistic results. We thus conclude
that, for producing realistic results, the logical structure of the lane
changing rules, as proposed here, is at least as important as the microscopic
details of the rules
Modeling and Simulation of Multi-Lane Traffic Flow
A most important aspect in the field of traffic modeling is the simulation of
bottleneck situations. For their realistic description a macroscopic multi-lane
model for uni-directional freeways including acceleration, deceleration,
velocity fluctuations, overtaking and lane-changing maneuvers is systematically
deduced from a gas-kinetic (Boltzmann-like) approach. The resulting equations
contain corrections with respect to previous models. For efficient computer
simulations, a reduced model delineating the coarse-grained temporal behavior
is derived and applied to bottleneck situations.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.htm
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