TRAFFIC FLOW ON A 3-LANE HIGHWAY

Abstract

The traffic flow on a 3-lane highway is investigated using a cellular automaton method. Two different kinds of vehicles, cars and trucks, with different driving behaviors are presented on the highway. It is found that in the high density region, a control scheme requiring passing from the inner lane will enhance the traffic flow; while restricting the trucks to the outer lane will enhance the flow in the low density region and also has the benefit of suppressing the unnecessary lane-changing rate.