Abstract
Expressways in India are vastly different from those in the developed countries due to its varied vehicle composition and quasi-lane disciplined traffic movement. Relatively, limited research has been done on the lane utilization and lane choice behavior of different vehicle types on Indian expressways. This study thus focuses on building a structural equation model to study the influence of different vehicle categories and stream speed on lane utilization of Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and further develop three lane choice models using lane utilization factor, class of vehicles, and stream speed as independent variables. The three lane choice models are validated with observed lane wise traffic composition and lane discipline. From the sensitivity analysis of parameters affecting lane choice, it is observed that stream speed and class of vehicle significantly affect the drivers’ lane choice behavior. The results of this study in the form of lane utilization and lane discipline behavior by different vehicle types are used to differentiate the expressway traffic characteristics from other road types in India. The findings are also helpful in developing and calibrating the microscopic simulation models for Indian expressways.
Notes
1. Intermediate lane stands for virtual lanes available between the lanes marked as lane 1, lane 2, lane 3 and lane 4. These can be named as lane 1–2, lane 2–3 and lane 3–4 which represent lane between 1st and 2nd lane, 2nd and 3rd lane and 3rd and 4th lane respectively.