A two-sided lateral gap continuum model and its numerical simulation for non-lane based heterogeneous traffic environment

Abstract

The objective of this study is to model the complex behavior of non-lane based heterogeneous traffic which is predominantly occupied by vehicles with varying physical and dynamical characteristics and their staggered car following behavior. This study proposes a new continuum model by considering the properties of two-sided lateral gap in a non-lane based heterogeneous traffic stream. The model is built on a strong empirical background and modified car following theory. In particular, the model consists of density dependent disturbance propagation speed, viscosity term and a frictional clearance term to describe the complex vehicular interactions in a traffic stream. Viscosity term in the model represents the driver’s reaction to a sudden change in density and further, it helps in smoothening out the shock fronts. Frictional clearance term in the model considers the effect of slow moving vehicles on the dynamics of fast moving vehicles. The results of mathematical and numerical analysis show that the proposed model satisfies all the qualitative and physical properties of the real world system. Moreover, two sided lateral gap in the model improves the stability region of traffic flow and increases the capacity and density of traffic stream. In addition, it is able to dissipate the traffic perturbation rapidly when compared to one-sided lateral gap model. It is anticipated that the new model provides the basis for evaluating alternative transport policy measures and helps in analyzing the system performance in the future.