Need for an Integrated Modelling Approach for Mixed Traffic Flow Phenomena

K.V. R. Ravi Shankar

doi:10.3759/ttea.v1i1.2804

Abstract

Traffic flow modelling can be in general categorised into three broad categories.Macroscopic models are generally based on aggregate level of traffic flow; whereasmicroscopic tools are more disaggregated and dynamic in nature. Benefiting from thesteadily increasing availability of affordable computing power, these more detailedmodels have become the tool of choice for operational studies, commonly in the form ofmicroscopic simulators. Among other dynamic models, mesoscopic ones are acompromise between the macro and micro levels. With the introduction of newtechnologies, data of unprecedented quantity and ultimately quality, development of nextgeneration simulation models becomes an interesting research direction.This paperproposes the need for next generation simulation models and presents a lead todevelopment of integrated models. The driver behaviour is a cause-reaction approachinvolving several tasks within a short time interval. Hence an integrated systemcomprising of driver decision making and the inter-dependence among the decisions andanticipation capabilities better replicates the realistic diving behaviour. These integratedmodels are driven by the distinct difference in driving behaviour, vehicle-typecharacteristics, level of traffic etc. These kind of models are more apt particularly forIndian mixed traffic conditions where the static and dynamic characteristics of thevehicle vary widely.