Evaluating the Effects of Automated Vehicle Technology on the Capacity of Freeway Weaving Sections
Autor: | Monica Menendez, Gabriel Tilg, Kaidi Yang |
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Přispěvatelé: | Lehrstuhl für Verkehrstechnik |
Rok vydání: | 2017 |
Předmět: |
050210 logistics & transportation
021103 operations research Change positions Computer science 05 social sciences 0211 other engineering and technologies Transportation ComputerApplications_COMPUTERSINOTHERSYSTEMS 02 engineering and technology Replicate Traffic dynamics Automotive engineering Computer Science Applications ddc Simulation-based optimization Automated vehicles Traffic flow Weaving sections Multiclass hybrid mode l Simulation-based optimization Lane change positions 0502 economics and business Automotive Engineering Weaving Merge (version control) Hybrid model Civil and Structural Engineering |
Popis: | Weaving sections, where a merge and a diverge are in close proximity, are considered as crucial bottlenecks in the highway network. Lane changes happen frequently in such sections, leading to a reduced capacity and the traffic phenomenon known as capacity drop. This paper studies how the emerging automated vehicle technology can improve the operations and increase the capacity of weaving sections. We propose an efficient yet effective multiclass hybrid model that considers two aspects of this technology in scenarios with various penetration rates: (i) the potential to control the desired lane change decisions of automated vehicles, which is represented in a macroscopic manner as the distribution of lane change positions, and (ii) the lower reaction time associated with automated vehicles that can reduce headways and the required gaps for lane changing maneuvers. The proposed model is successfully calibrated and validated with empirical observations from conventional vehicles at a weaving section near the city of Basel, Switzerland. It is able to replicate traffic dynamics in weaving sections including the capacity drop. This model is then applied in a simulation-based optimization framework that searches for the optimal distribution of the desired lane change positions to maximize the capacity of weaving sections. Simulation results show that by optimizing the distribution of the desired lane change positions, the capacity of the studied weaving section can increase up to 15%. The results also indicate that if the reaction time is considered as well, there is an additional combined effect that can further increase the capacity. Overall, the results show the great potential of the automated vehicle technology for increasing the capacity of weaving sections. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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