Speed Synchronization Process of Merging Vehicles from the Entrance Ramp

Abstract

This paper explores the “lane-changing preparation process,” defined as the synchronization process, from a new, integrated perspective. A comprehensive study was conducted to analyze the behavioral characteristics of the speed synchronization process of merging vehicles from entrance ramps by tracking their trajectories in the merge lanes. On the basis of gap selection, merging vehicles were classified as either original gap type or overtaking type, and the existence of speed synchronization was proved by comparing the speed differences of merging vehicles in relation to the putative leader (PL) and the putative follower (PF) vehicles. Several rules of merging vehicles during speed synchronization were established in the behavioral study. The merging vehicles tended to maintain a speed 5 to 7 m/s higher than the speed of the PL so as to overtake unsatisfied gaps in the adjacent through lane. When those vehicles intended to accept a gap, they first adjusted their speeds to be within a 2-m/s difference from their PL and PF vehicles and then merged into the targeted gap within 2 to 3 s. Factors affecting drivers' tolerance of their speed with PL and PF vehicles were modeled with the multiregression method. Significant effects in speed synchronization include the number of rejected gaps, acceleration or deceleration, the speed difference between the PL and the PF, the time headway, the remaining distance in the auxiliary lane, and whether the PL is a merged vehicle. Results from this study may contribute to the understanding of the complex lane-changing behavior in microscopic traffic flow modeling.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Laval

J. A.

, and Daganzo

C. F.

Lane-Changing in Traffic Streams. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2006, pp. 251–264.

Daamen

, Loot

, and Hoogendoorn

S. P.

Empirical Analysis of Merging Behavior at Freeway On-Ramp. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2188, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2010, pp. 108–118.

Kazi

A. I.

Modeling Drivers' Acceleration and Lane Changing Behavior. PhD dissertation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1991.

Toledo

, and Zohar

Modeling Duration of Lane Changes. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1999, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2007, pp. 71–78.

Moridpour

, Sarvi

, and Rose

Modeling the Lane-Changing Execution of Multiclass Vehicles Under Heavy Traffic Conditions. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2161, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2010, pp. 11–19.

Sun

D. J.

Modeling Vehicle Interactions During Lane-Changing Behavior on Arterial Streets. Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, Vol. 25, No. 8, 2010, pp. 557–571.

Schakel

W. J.

, Knoop

V. L.

, and van Arem

Integrated Lane Change Model with Relaxation and Synchronization. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2316, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2012, pp. 47–57.

Gipps

P. G.

A Model for the Structure of Lane-Changing Decisions. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Vol. 20, No. 5, 1986, pp. 403–414.

Wei

, Meyer

, Lee

J. J.

, and Chuen

Characterizing and Modeling Observed Lane-Changing Behavior: Lane-Vehicle-Based Microscopic Simulation on Urban Street Network. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1710, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2000, pp. 104–113.

10.

Ahmed

K. I.

Modeling Drivers' Acceleration and Lane Changing Behavior. DSc dissertation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1991.

11.

Rakha

, and Zhang

INTEGRATION 2.30 Framework for Modeling Lane-Changing Behavior in Weaving Sections. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1883, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2004, pp. 140–149.

12.

Toledo

, Koutsopoulos

H. N.

, and Ben-Akiva

M. E.

Modeling Integrated Lane-Changing Behavior. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1857, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2003, pp. 30–38.

13.

Halati

, Lieu

, and Walker

CORSIM: Corridor Traffic Simulation Model. Proc., Traffic Congestion and Traffic Safety in the 21st Century ( Benekohal

R. F.

, ed.), ASCE, New York, 1997, pp. 570–576.

14.

Rao

Anticipatory Behavior in Lane Changing Models. MS thesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 2006.

15.

CORSIM Reference Manual, Version 5.0. ITT Industries, Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo., 2001.

16.

Hidas

Modelling Vehicle Interactions in Microscopic Simulation of Merging and Weaving. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2005, pp. 37–62.

17.

Wang

, Liu

, and Montgomery

A Simulation Model for Motorway Merging Behavior. Transportation and Traffic Theory: Proceeding of the 16th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory ( Mahmassani

H. S.

, ed.), Elsevier, New York, 2005.

18.

Kesting

, Treiber

, and Helbing

General Lane-Changing Model MOBIL for Car-Following Models. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1999, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2007, pp. 86–94.

19.

Choudhury

C. F.

Modeling Driving Decisions with Latent Plans. PhD dissertation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 2008.

20.

Yeo

, Skabardonis

, Halkias

J. A.

, Colyar

, and Alexiadis

Oversaturated Freeway Flow Algorithm for Use in Next Generation Simulation. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2088, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2008, pp. 68–79.

21.

Liu

H. X.

, Xin

, and Adams

Z. M.

A Game Theoretical Approach for Modelling Merging and Yielding Behavior at Freeway On-Ramp Sections. In Transportation and Traffic Theory: Proceeding of the 17th International Symposium on Transportation and Traffic Theory ( Bell

M. G. H.

, ed.), 2007, Emerald Group Publishing, London, pp. 196–211.

22.

Kim

J. T.

, Kim

, and Chang

Lane-Changing Gap Acceptance Model for Freeway Merging in Simulation. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2008, pp. 301–311.

23.

Laval

J. A.

, and Leclercq

Microscopic Modeling of the Relaxation Phenomenon Using a Macroscopic Lane-Changing Model. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Vol. 42, No. 6, 2008, pp. 511–522.

24.

Cohen

S. L.

Application of Relaxation Procedure for Lane Changing in Microscopic Simulation Models. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1883, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2004, pp. 50–58.

25.

Leclercq

, Chiabaut

, Laval

J. A.

, and Buisson

Relaxation Phenomenon After Changing Lanes: Experimental Validation with NGSIM Data Set. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1999, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2007, pp. 79–85.

26.

Kerner

B. S.

Experimental Features of Self-Organization in Traffic Flow. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 81, No. 17, 1998, pp. 3797–3800.