Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of heavy vehicles on traffic flow on a two-lane highway. To achieve this goal, data was obtained from piezosensors on the Seoul–Chuncheon Expressway. Analysis of the data showed that, as everyone knows, the average speed of traffic flows decreases as the proportion of heavy vehicles increases. However, not only the speed decreased, but the speed deviation between vehicles decreased. In other words, it was found that within the traffic group that formed the same platoon, individual vehicles were forced to form similar speeds, resulting in a homogeneous rate. This means that heavy vehicles can be included in the traffic stream, reducing the chances of a vehicle-to-vehicle conflict. This kind of influence can be said to explain that heavy vehicles do not necessarily have a negative effect on traffic flow. In this way, we expect to be able to study ways to manage traffic flow by using the effects of low-speed vehicles.
Highlights
Heavy vehicles are known to have a negative effect on traffic flow
As presented by some studies about traffic safety [15,16,17,18], when the speed deviations of vehicles passing through points and sections are small, a stable traffic flow with a low accident risk is expected. It seems that traffic flows containing medium-sized heavy vehicles are more stabilized and the accident risk is lower than in traffic flows containing passenger cars and small-sized heavy vehicles maintaining a relatively high speed. These results indicate that the impact of medium-sized heavy vehicles on traffic flow considered in the existing vehicle correction factor and passenger car equivalents (PCEs) is different from the actual effect on the traffic flow
Traffic data were collected for the Seoul–Chuncheon Expressway, which is a one-way, two-lane road, and the effect of heavy vehicles on traffic flow was analyzed
Summary
Heavy vehicles are known to have a negative effect on traffic flow. In general, a vehicle defined as a heavy vehicle is a vehicle that is larger than a truck, and refers to a vehicle with a large body size. It can be considered that such a vehicle has a wider area for lane change than a passenger car, and has a different form from that of a passenger vehicle in vehicle behavior such as acceleration and deceleration It is generally classified as a low-speed vehicle and recommended to be driven on the rightmost side of the road. These characteristics and regulations are judged in other countries as well as Korea where this study was conducted. Data-collection points and periods are shown in pable of of classifying vehicle types. 2, acquisition and the acquisition yearAlthough is 2011
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