Macro autonomous traffic flow model with traffic jerk and downstream vehicle information

PurposeTo reflect the future traffic environment, the authors simultaneously incorporate the electronic throttle (ET) and traffic jerk into the traditional continuum model. The authors derive the stability criterion of the enhanced continuum model via the perturbation method.Design/methodology/approachTo facilitate insight into the propagation and evolution mechanism of traffic jam near the stability condition, the authors use the nonlinear stability analysis method to derive the KdV-Burgers equation of proposed continuum model. Finally, the numerical example verified that the new item of ET opening angle and traffic jerk have a positive impact on suppressing traffic congestion and improving road robustness.FindingsThe new item of ET opening angle and traffic jerk have a positive impact on suppressing traffic congestion and improving road robustness.Originality/valueTo better reflect the real traffic environment, a extend continuum model taking into account the ET opening angle and traffic jerk effect is presented. The stability criterion of the extended model is got based on perturbation method. The evolution characteristics and propagation mechanism of the traffic jam near the neutral stability condition are further received by deriving the KdV-Burgers equation in the nonlinear stability analysis. From simulation, we found that the ET opening angle information and traffic jerk have a significant effect on the traffic jam.

Analysis of V2V Messages for Car-Following Behavior with the Traffic Jerk Effect

The existing model of sudden acceleration changes, referred to as the traffic jerk effect, is mostly based on theoretical hypotheses, and previous research has mainly focused on traditional traffic flow. To this end, this paper investigates the change in the traffic jerk effect between inactive and active vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications based on field experimental data. Data mining results show that the correlation between the jerk effect and the driving behavior increases by 50.6% on average when V2V messages are received. In light of the data analysis results, a new car-following model is proposed to explore the jerk effect in a connected environment. The model parameters are calibrated, and the results show that the standard deviation between the new model simulation data and the observed data decreases by 38.2% compared to that of the full velocity difference (FVD) model. Linear and nonlinear analyses of the calibrated model are then carried out to evaluate the connected traffic flow stability. Finally, the theoretical analysis is verified by simulation experiments. Both the theoretical and simulation results show that the headway amplitude and velocity fluctuations are reduced when considering the jerk effect in a connected environment, and the traffic flow stability is improved.