Macroscopic flow characterization at T-junctions. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khan, Daud; Khan, Zawar Hussain; Imran, Waheed; Khattak, Khurram Shehzad; Gulliver, Thomas Aaron
• Is Part Of: Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives. Volume 14(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Lighthill-Whitham-Richards model -- First order upwind scheme -- CFL condition -- Driver response -- Junctions; Transportation -- Periodicals; 388.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2022.100591
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2590-1982

Abstract

Highlights: Traffic characterization at T-Junctions. The proposed model is based on road widths and capacity. Model is numerically discretized with upwind scheme. Validated by comparing with LWR model. Traffic behavior with the proposed model is more realistic. Abstract: At T-junctions, a minor road meets a main road and merging vehicles from the minor road create traffic bottlenecks as significant interactions between vehicles occur. These interactions reduce road capacity resulting in congestion. The Lighthill-Whitham-Richards (LWR) model is widely employed to characterize traffic flow. However, this model only considers small changes in flow which can be inadequate for T-junctions. Thus, a new model is proposed which is based on driver response during transitions at these junctions. The proposed and LWR models are evaluated using the first order upwind scheme (FOUS). The Courant-Friedrich-Lewy (CFL) condition is employed to ensure model stability. Results are presented which show that the proposed model better characterizes traffic flow at T-junctions.