This paper proposes the Simple Platoon Advancement (SPA) model which describes a system where the roadway infrastructure controls vehicle progression through a single, isolated, signalised junction. The objective is to speed the passage of vehicles from a stationary queue through the junction without resorting to a greater rate of acceleration than is used by today's drivers. Progression is achieved by the queue being moved as a single unit (a technologically-connected platoon) with instant start on green and uniform acceleration. A platoon dispersion mechanism is proposed that will allow the control of the vehicles to be safely transferred from the infrastructure to the driver of each vehicle. The description in this paper only considers light vehicles. The paper then discusses some features of an exponential model of queue discharge characteristics developed from extensive observations of eleven signalised intersections in Sydney and Melbourne from 1991-99. This paper presents a comparison of the SPA model performance to the EQD model and is concerned with maximum throughput of vehicles. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E209471.
Samenvatting