The effect of a special lane for intelligent vehicles on traffic flows

an exploratory study using the microscopic traffic simulation model MIXIC. Commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management, Transport Research Centre AVV.
Author(s)
Arem, B. van Vos, A.P. de & Vanderschuren, M.J.W.A.
Year
Abstract

This study explores traffic flow impacts of a dedicated lane for `intelligent' vehicles using the MICroscopic model for Simulation of Intelligent Cruise control (MIXIC) 1.3. The objective of the study is to examine whether making a lane available for 'intelligent' vehicles can increase the capacity of a bottleneck in the motorway network. The `intelligent' vehicles were assumed to have an Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) functionality. A road configuration was examined which consists of a motorway where the left lane of a four-lane section is dropped. The study addressed a number of steps along which the dedicated lane can be introduced into a three-lane bottleneck situation. The ICC introduction into the bottleneck situation resulted in: (1) an improvement in the number and severity of shock waves; and (2) in a throughput improvement of several percent with respect to the maximal throughput of approximately 7570 pcu/h for the reference situation. The introduction of the ICC lane gave a slight decrease in speed at a slightly higher number of vehicles in the simulation. The introduction of short headways on the ICC lane caused: (a) some problems of merging at the approach to the ICC lane; and (b) a throughput improvement of several percent with respect to the reference case without ICC. The exploratory nature of the study needs to be emphasised. (A) See also IRRD 898630.

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Publication

Library number
C 9819 [electronic version only] /72 /73 / IRRD 898629
Source

Delft, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research TNO, INRO Centre for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Traffic and Transportation Unit, 1997, VI + 75 p., 24 ref.; 97/NV/060 / TNO Institute for Policy Studies ; Report INRO-VVG 1997-02a

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This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.