Effect of cooperative merging on the synchronous flow phase of traffic

Abstract

Cooperation in merging is introduced by adding interactions between pairs of vehicles in opposite lanes. Simulations with an improved version of the modified optimal velocity model are done for two lanes merging into a single lane. For ~30 seconds prior to reaching the merge region, vehicles in both lanes adjust their headways to create safe distances in front of and behind the merging vehicle. Cooperation prevents the transition from free flow to synchronous flow that occurs for normal merging, provided the merge region is sufficiently large and the total incoming flow does not exceed the maximum possible single-lane flow. No long-range vehicle-to-vehicle communication is required for the type of cooperation considered.

23 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Physica A

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Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Statistical Physics of Synchronized Traffic Flow: Spatiotemporal Competition between S$\to$F and S$\to$J Instabilities
• Achievement of Alternative Configurations of Vehicles on Multiple Lanes
• Physics of Automated-Driving Vehicular Traffic
• Effect of Autonomous Driving on Traffic Breakdown in Mixed Traffic Flow: A Critical Mini-Review