Traffic Flow Model
Introduction
After studying traffic flow model in CEE 310, it is interested to me. As a result, I research more information about the traffic congestion factors and traffic flow simulation model. The traffic flow could be investigated by observing traffic phenomena in real life traffic situations and understanding the traffic phenomena based on traffic flow system. It is the study of interaction between drivers, vehicles, and infrastructure. Understanding traffic flow models can aim developing a better road network with minimal traffic congestion problem and efficient movement of traffic.
Traffic phenomena are multifaceted, and it depends on the interpretations of many vehicles. Vehicles also do not react simply following the laws of mechanic. It varies depending on individual driver’s behavior. The traffic flow theory is defined as “the description of traffic behavior by application of physics and mathematics” (Gerlough and Huber, 1975). The traffic flow theory interprets the traffic stream variables of speed, flow, and concentration. The higher density will make the traffic flow become unstable and dangerous and even causing car incidents. Jam density represents to extreme traffic density which the vehicles’ velocity is also zero in the case.
Traffic Flow Models
Traffic flow models are developed to reproduce the characteristics of traffic flow by various modeling methods. It is normally constrained along a one-dimensional pathway, and could be classified into macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic models. All the models have their own application areas. There are no false or correct for each model but certain approach of model fit the objective of the application well or not (Kuhne, 1993). The microscopi...
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...Density Rellation.”
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"Traffic Bottlenecks." Localized Bottleneck Reduction Program. Federal Highway Administration, 3 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
The question of the effectiveness of photo-radars for reducing the number of drivers that break the speed limit is widely debated in the academic literature. One of the evidences in favor of photo-radars is provided by Retting & Farmer (2003) who studied results of speeding cameras deployment in Washington D.C. in 2001. Researches collected data on the mean traffic speeds and proportion of drivers who had been violating the speed limit for 60 different zones 1 year prior to and 6 months after the installation of photo-radars. They have discovered that on average the mean driving speed has fallen by 14% and average share of speeding drivers was reduced by 82% which suggests that photo-radars can effectively control the driving conditions.
The behavioral models of the traffic as a system has been developed and studied for several decades and the core behavioral models, Gipps’ car-following/acceleration model and lane-changing model are more or less enough to predict behavioral outcomes of vehicles in homogeneous traffic conditions with lane discipline. In mixed traffic conditions with weak/no lane discipline however, the behavior of a vehicle cannot be defined separately using the car-following and lane-changing models. The behavior of a vehicle under such conditions is very dynamic – depending on the behavior of other vehicles in its vicinity. Also, there exists a continuous interaction among the vehicles and therefore, every vehicle is influenced by its surrounding vehicles.
The elimination of traffic regulations causes drivers to think for themselves and pay attention to the road rather than the laws of the road. Without set speed limits, motorists drive at a speed they feel comfortable and in control of. For example, large stretches’ of the Autobahn do not have a speed limit. While there are many people who drive at speeds in excess of one hundred and fifty miles per hour (Driving 150mph on the Autobahn, YouTube), but the average speed of the majority of vehicles is eighty miles per hour. This is merely ten miles per hour faster than the speed limits on most comparable United States highways. Even though there is no set speed limit on large portions of the Autobahn, fatalities are much lower than that of rural highways in the United States, despite having no speed limit. Another study concerning speed limits involved measuring the speed of vehicles in a given area. Next the posted speed limits were either raised or lowered the speed limit. After the speed limit was altered vehicle speed was measured again. The study found, regardl...
Sorensen, Karen. "Speed Warning Signs No Deterrent for 95 Drivers." Plainfield Patch. 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
drivers travelling at high speeds on roads (Hartman). To conserve fuel and save lives, the
The most noticeable inconvenience of driving in Miami is traffic congestion. In fact, because the highways are cluttered with a significant amount of vehicles carpooling is encouraged. For this purpose, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes were formed. Each weekday, a simple twenty-minute drive turns into an eternal wait for forward progress. With each minute that goes by cars advance less than twenty feet. And while the traffic may open up in some areas, in its entirety I-95 remains congested during the morning and evening hours, as seen in the image where cars on the South Florida Highways line up bumper-to-bumper. The cause for such highway clutter varies, but it is interesting to note the difficulty in explaining highway driving conditions. It is uncertain as to whether the accidents cause traffic congestion or the traffic congestion causes accidents. Either way, the main roads and highways commuters take to work are crowded with drivers. Furthermore, I-95 passes through several commercial districts in the lower Miami area. Many large trucks and commercial vehicles, as well as passenger vehicles, drive to work at these commercial areas. The weekday traffic congestions on the Miami roadways are, in large part, a major inconvenience to commuters, all with intent to arrive early to work.
One major problem on many highways is speeding, Many researchers agree the best way to gauge speed limits is following the 85th percentile rule. The 85th percentile rule explains that a acceptable and most efficient speed should be set so 85 percent of vehicles are traveling at or below that posted limit. However, many lawmakers often lower the speeds with the mentality of “slower is safer”. This is simply not the case. Setting the speed limit of a road to an arbitrary value may, and most likely will, have a deteriorative effect on traffic flow and safety
First off, traffic jams became autonomously problematic due to the cramped conditions, and not as prevalent amount of roads. With the increasing amount of people who owned automobiles in inner cities, this is something we see that is just as bad and even worse today. The Great Gatsby
... n.p., n.d. Data : n.p., n.d. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Web. The Web. The Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
lane closures and distractions to motorists. A motorist is driving the speed limit and then immediately has to slam on their brakes because another motorist sees the lane closures and decides to cut in front of them. This type of driving makes motorists mad because they know tha...
According to an estimation by Transport for London, in 2010 “the mode of transport most commonly used for journey stages in London was a car” with about 35% of the responses. Car transportation was followed by “walking (21%), bus (20%), underground (10%), rail (9%), and cycling (2%)” (Transport for London, 2010). Because traffic volume is related to the amount of transportation vehicles on the road for a certain period of time, any vehicle that commutes on roadways adds to the traffic volume. For example, cars, trucks, and busses all add to the volume of traffic in an area. In London specifically, cars are the most commonly used form of transportation which contributes to the high traffic
Traffic engineers and planners need information about traffic. They need information to design and manage road and traffic system. They use the information for planning and designing traffic facilities, selecting geometric standards, economic analysis and determination of priorities. They use this to justify warrant of traffic control devices such as signs, traffic signals, pavement markings, school and pedestrian crossings. The also use this information to study the effectiveness of introduced schemes, diagnosing given situations and finding appropriate solutions, forecasting the effects of projected strategies, calibrating and validating traffic models.
Traffic control establishes a set of rules and regulations that people rely on to help avoid collisions and other hazards. With almost 160 million motorists and 3.8 million miles of public roads in the United States, traffic control on the highways is an important aspect of daily life. Without the control of speed there would be more fatalities than we already have now. Speed limits should be obeyed. A motorist going too slow could cause an accident. When everyone is traveling at the speed limit, a car comes up going 40 mph; if you break everyone will, too, perhaps causing a collision. Motorists depend on traffic control to avoid collisions and travel safely to their destination.
We all use vehicles for transportation. People usually go to their desired destination either by driving their own cars or traveling in public transportation. Actually, it might be tough to choose that which one is the best selection for people to travel. Many people choose one of them according to their comfort while traveling and both of them have advantages and disadvantages in different conditions. Public transportation and driving own car both shares differences and similarities in many aspects, such as facility, cost, and comfort as well as traffic jam and accident occurrence.
The primary point of traffic laws is safety, but also keeping order. Following traffic laws is one of the most essential aspects of driving and can increase your safety as well as of the people around you. Knowing the traffic rules in our region and applying them can prevent us from getting involved in an car accident and save us the pain and costs of a traffic ticket due to a violation. If we didn’t have any traffic laws there would be chaos on the roads and many disasters could happen.