11 - Test bed for simulations of the effect of a vehicle ad hoc network on traffic flow

Abstract

This chapter discusses methodology and results of simulations of the effect of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication of traffic flow. We explain why generally accepted traffic flow models and traffic simulation tools contradict the set of fundamental empirical features of traffic breakdown at highway bottlenecks. For this reason, for reliable simulations of the influence of V2X communication on traffic, we should use a traffic flow model in the framework of three-phase theory, which is devoted to the explanation of the fundamental empirical features of traffic breakdown. We present ‘a united network model’ that incorporates both a model of ad hoc network and a three-phase microscopic stochastic traffic flow model. Results of simulations of the prevention of traffic breakdown and the prevention of moving jam emergence in synchronized flow are presented. These results show a great value of the application of V2X communication for increasing the reliability of transportation networks.