Cellular automaton simulations of a T-shaped unsignalised intersection with refined configurations

Abstract

This article investigates traffic flow at a T-shaped unsignalised intersection based on the cellular automaton (CA) simulation. This approach can reveal many microscopic features of traffic flow. We used a refined Nagel–Schreckenberg model and the geometry of the intersection has been considered, in which vehicles are assumed to move along 1/4 circle arcs in the intersection. Yield rules need to be obeyed when conflict occurs. Three-dimensional (3D) visualisations have been created with the support of an OpenGL, which gives more user-friendly and realistic presentations. We have presented the diagrams of intersection states and studied the capacities of different approaches. Our method is expected to become a general approach for CA simulation of intersections.