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A continuum traffic flow model with the consideration of coupling effect for two-lane freeways

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Abstract

A new higher-order continuum model is proposed by considering the coupling and lane changing effects of the vehicles on two adjacent lanes. A stability analysis of the proposed model provides the conditions that ensure its linear stability. Issues related to lane changing, shock waves and rarefaction waves, local clustering and phase transition are also investigated with numerical experiments. The simulation results show that the proposed model is capable of providing explanations to some particular traffic phenomena commonly observable in real traffic flows.

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Correspondence to Guang-Han Peng.

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The project was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863) (511-0910-1031) and the National “10th Five-Year” Science and Technique Important Program of China (2002BA404A07).

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Sun, DH., Peng, GH., Fu, LP. et al. A continuum traffic flow model with the consideration of coupling effect for two-lane freeways. Acta Mech Sin 27, 228–236 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-011-0419-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-011-0419-y

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