Simulation Modeling of Impact of Multi-class Heavy Vehicles on Traffic Flow Characteristics of Multi-lane Highways Under Mixed Traffic Conditions Using VISSIM Software

Abstract

AbstractThe heavy vehicle’s interactivity with the remaining classes of vehicles in the traffic stream is constantly rising and their impact becoming pronounced day by day. Unlike other vehicle categories, the heavy vehicle’s operational characteristics vary widely and their impact on the traffic flow is high. The impact of heavy vehicles (HVs) on the traffic flow is high due to their larger dimensions and different operational capability compared to other classes of vehicles. The lane-changing and overtaking behavior of the rear vehicles to the HVs are more frequent, which raises safety concerns. Various studies are undertaken continuously to study their influence on the mixed traffic flow condition. Our study is aimed at analyzing the heavy vehicle’s influence on traffic flow speed and capacity of a highway section using simulation analysis with VISSIM software. The traffic flow data of National Highway 83 was collected using the Transportable Infra-Red Traffic Logger (TIRTL) for a period of 24 h. A base model was created using VISSIM to replicate the field conditions. Four classes of heavy vehicles were taken for the study purpose. Macroscopic fundamental diagrams (MFDs) were used to analyze the before and after flow at the arrival of HVs. Statistical analyses were done to validate the model and arrive at the results. The field and simulation results were compared. Significant impacts were observed in the after characteristics compared to before characteristics of the traffic stream at the arrival of HVs. Few strategies were recommended to regulate and control the operations of HVs.KeywordsHeavy vehiclesMixed traffic flowVISSIM softwareMacroscopic fundamental diagrams