Abstract
In the previous chapter, the main variables in traffic flow modelling were introduced. In this chapter, we discuss how they are related: obviously, high speeds seldom occur together with low headways, similarly, low densities create room for high speeds. Traffic flow models are based on the assumption that there is some relation between these variables. The relation between distance and velocity was first studied by Greenshields (The photographic method of studying traffic behavior. In: Proceedings of the 13th annual meeting of the highway research board (1934), pp 382–399) and called the fundamental relation (or fundamental diagram) later. Therefore, Greenshields is often regarded as the founder of traffic flow theory, and the fundamental diagram is the first model in the genealogical tree of traffic flow models (see Page 15).
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Further Reading
del Castillo J (2012) Three new models for the flow-density relationship: derivation and testing for freeway and urban data. Transportmetrica 8(6):443–465
Kerner BS (2009) Introduction to modern traffic flow theory and control: the long road to three-phase traffic theory. Springer, Berlin
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Kessels, F. (2019). The Fundamental Diagram. In: Traffic Flow Modelling. EURO Advanced Tutorials on Operational Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78695-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78695-7_2
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