On the modelling of speed–concentration curves for multi-class traffic lacking lane discipline using area occupancy

ABSTRACT

The paper discusses the major limitations of the existing speed–area occupancy curve for multi-class traffic. Any driver will react not to the actual area occupancy, but to a perceived area occupancy based on the spatial arrangement and percentage composition of vehicles. To address multi-class traffic peculiarities, this paper proposes a formulation for perceived area occupancy. Traffic flow is simulated on a road section using a calibrated microsimulation model for Electronics City, Bangalore, India. The speed–concentration curves are plotted for various functional forms using density, area occupancy, and perceived area occupancy. Analysis results showed that the speed–perceived area occupancy curve could capture the speed variation better than by the existing functional forms and could predict traffic flow significantly better than with that by speed–density curves when used with the fundamental equation of traffic flow.

KEYWORDS:

• Area occupancy
• multi-class traffic
• lane discipline
• speed-AO

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur and the Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation, and Urban Planning, IISc Bangalore, India, for enabling this research work. All findings and opinions in the paper are by the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any funding agency.

Disclosure statement

Submission of the article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Annexure A

• Speed–concentration curves – M TW

• Speed–concentration curves – M ThW

• Speed–concentration curves – CAR

• Speed–concentration curves – HV